ELLSWORTH, Maine — New details have been released in the October 2017 homicide of 2-year-old Kloe Hawksley.
21-year-old Savannah Smith has been charged with murder. She appeared before a judge on Monday.
During Monday's hearing, prosecutor Leanne Robbin said Kloe died of a "blow to her abdomen."
According to court documents, Smith told police Kloe was knocked over by the family dog and hit her chin. The next morning, she was found dead.
Smith also told police that the afternoon before Kloe was found dead, Smith heard Kloe crying from her bedroom. Kloe's brother, Owen, told Smith that Kloe fell off her bed. Kloe then stopped crying and got back in her bed, according to court documents.
Smith told police that around 5:30 p.m., both Kloe and Owen were asleep in their bedroom.
She also told police that she did not notice the bruising all over Kloe's body until she found her body the next morning.
The state medical examiner's office said Kloe died four to six hours before first responders found her. She was reportedly injured four to ten hours before her death.
Smith was denied bail on Monday. The judge says a big factor is Smith's unstable living situation. At the time of her arrest, she was living at the Spring Fountain Motel in Bucksport with her new boyfriend.
A Department of Health and Human Services case worker testified on Monday and said that instability is a problem with the department, too. The case worker discussed Smith's three children, who were all in DHHS custody at one time.
In response, Smith’s attorney pointed to his client’s willingness to stay in the greater Bucksport area as a reason to grant her bail because almost all of her family still lives in the area.
"I saw her as a good bail prospect for the granting of bail; however, her family is of limited means, and even if the judge had granted us bail and set it at what bail is typically set at in these cases -- my client was obviously disappointed," Smith's attorney, Jeff Silverstein, said. "She’s 21. She had never been in jail, and now she’s not getting out."
The judge did say if the defense could present more specific information, they could further discuss bail for Smith.