ELIZABETHTOWN, LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. --- Candace Parrow, 23, is facing criminal homicide, aggravated assault and strangulation charges in connection to the death of her four-month old daughter.
Parrow was arrested Monday afternoon, without incident, and is currently being held at the Lancaster County Prison without bond.
Investigators say on the night of July 16, a 9-1-1 call brought emergency services to Parrow's East Orange Street apartment for an unresponsive child.
Angi Zellers, Parrow's next-door neighbor, said she called 9-1-1 when she heard cries for help.
"When I finally came out, that's when I saw EMS running up and everything and saw them carrying the baby out," said Zellers.
Police say Parrow told them she put the baby girl down, went to clean dishes for 10 to 15 minutes, then came back to find the girl unresponsive.
It was a statement investigators say didn't add up.
"Police did some good investigation at the scene and found the few dishes that were in the home were dirty and we have a dry sink, all indicators that she wasn't being truthful with that version of what happened," said Brett Hambright with the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Police say Parrow also made a troubling comment when they arrived.
"She was very distraught...Made statements to the effect of "I'm going to be blamed for this again,"" said Hambright.
Lancaster County investigators say Parrow's first child, a son, died about a year ago in Syracuse, New York when he was three months old.
That child's death is still under investigation by New York authorities.
An autopsy concluded the four-month old girl died of strangulation and suffocation and ruled the death a homicide.
Hambright said the girl's father, who is not being identified, is cooperating with their investigation.
Authorites say a time card and a statement from the supervisor at the father's job led them to believe Parrow was alone with the child at the time of the child's death.
Hambright said they wouldn't discuss a possible motive but they learned more about life at home from the father.
"She had struggled with this child before, specifically when the child would cry or have fits. She struggled to handle it on her own and would sometimes even drive to the father's place of work and essentially wait in a vehicle for him to be able to come out and alleviate some of the stress," said Hambright.
Zellers said there are a lot of mothers in their apartment complex.
She says she wishes someone asked for help, if what investigators say is true.
"As a mother, I can't explain it. I don't understand how someone can do that to their baby," said Zellers.
Hambright said they expect a preliminary hearing for Parrow to come in about a month.