6-year-old girl rescued after sending photos of dead father to grandparents on Facebook Messenger

MT. MORRIS TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- A 6-year-old girl was left to fend for herself for nearly 24 hours while her father was dead and her mother remained unconscious.

Mt. Morris Township Police Chief Terence Green told WJRT it appeared the man, 40, and his 36-year-old wife overdosed based on evidence found in the home.

Green said the girl awoke Thursday morning to find them incapacitated on a mattress. She told police she then threw water on them but neither regained consciousness.

Police said a pit bull bit the man's face while he lay dead on the mattress.

Green said the girl eventually took photos of them lying on the mattress and used Facebook Messenger to send them to her grandparents in Tennessee.

The grandparents immediately called authorities.

Police credit the girl for saving her step-mother's life, who remains hospitalized and has not been cooperative with investigators.

The girl has since been taken to live with her biological mother while the investigation continues.