DURHAM (WTVD) -- Search warrants made public Thursday say a 4-year-old girl who died in Durham last month suffered a lacerated liver in an alleged beating.
As previously reported, investigators say 27-year-old Jessica Warren first told investigators her daughter Armani Hodges hit her head earlier in the day Sept. 25 when she was playing on a bed, but that she later became ill and was sent to bed.
Detectives say Warren later admitted to beating her daughter using a leather belt with a buckle and possibly her fists, but did not intend to kill her.
The search warrants say an autopsy showed the child did not suffer head trauma, but had significant abdominal injuries, including the lacerated liver.
A belt was collected as evidence at Warren's home along with a cell phone and other items.
The warrants say Warren was recorded on her cell phone while in a police interview room telling someone she was confident she would not be arrested.
Warren is charged with first-degree murder and remains in the Durham County Jail without bond.