2-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in Attic Died of Dehydration At Hands Of Her Stepmom: Authorities

Ariellisa Simmons' body was found in January. Her stepmom, 35-year-old Andrea Watkins-Simmons, has since been arrested.

A 2-year-old girl who was found dead in the attic of an empty apartment died from dehydration, an autopsy has revealed.

Ariellisa Simmons' body was found on January 16 and her stepmom, 35-year-old Andrea Watkins-Simmons, has since been arrested in connection to her death.

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This week, the medical examiner's office in Richmond, Virginia ruled Ariellisa's death as homicide by dehydration, according to WTVR.

Her stepmom was reported missing last November and police at the time said Ariellisa was in her custody.

According to court records, Ariellisa was likely killed sometime between October 13 and January 16, when her body was found, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Watkins-Simmons was reportedly arrested in New York in January on a charge of felony abduction.

Read: Girl, 16, Killed in High School Bathroom Assault: 'She Went In There to Talk Things Out'

After fighting extradition, she finally returned to Virginia last week, according to reports. She was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder and child neglect.

She is being held without bond in Richmond City Jail and will appear in court on May 2.

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