Neo-Mexican father arrested after he apparently beat his 5-year-old daughter to death for not doing his homework

A father from New Mexico was arrested on Friday and accused of beating his five-year-old daughter to death after she told him that she did not want to do her homework.

Brandon Reynolds, 36, of Albuquerque, was charged with intentional maltreatment, resulting in the death of a child under the age of 13, police said.

The father stated that he had started spanking the girl when she refused to do homework around 8 pm. On Thursday, he finally "lost consciousness", according to a criminal complaint filed by the affiliate of Albuquerque ABC, KOAT.

Reynolds only called 911 on Friday at 1 pm and said his daughter was suffering from cardiac arrest, police said.

"When the helpers arrived, they understood that the situation was turning into a criminal case, they called us and we resumed the investigation," said Friday at a conference of press a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department. "AFR acknowledged that this did not correspond to what was said to them and that it had become a criminal investigation."

Emergency responders attempted to revive the girl while she was taken to the University of New Mexico hospital where she was pronounced dead.

"The inspectors learned from hospital staff that the girl had been seriously injured," said Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier. "The detectives of our crimes against children unit were called to the scene to investigate with the help of our homicide unit."

The Department of Children, Youth and Family New Mexico (CYFD) has also been called to investigate the violence.

According to the complaint, officers found blood on the walls of the living room and on the carpet upon their arrival. The complaint indicates that the girl was repeatedly hit with a shoe and was bruised when the authorities arrived home.

"It's really a heartbreaking tragedy and our officers and detectives are working diligently right now to bring this little girl justice," said Geier.

Reynolds is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

The police stated that there were no other children in the house when Reynolds reportedly killed his daughter and that CYFD did not have a history at home.

Reynolds had sole custody of his daughter after a dispute with the mother of the child, according to the Albuquerque newspaper. He was granted custody of his daughter after concerns were expressed about the mother's use of marijuana, the newspaper reported.