A Minnesota mother reportedly told police she tried to kill her 3-year-old daughter because she was “continuously crying” for food.

Pelican Rapids Police officers responded to a call at about 9:30 p.m. on July 10 for an unresponsive toddler, the Detroit Lakes Tribune reported. They began CPR but said the mother sat on the couch smiling the entire time.

Emergency medical personnel arrived and rushed the little girl to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police said the mother told them the girl’s grandmother usually feeds her, but the grandmother wasn’t home, and the girl was crying for food. The said she tried to stab her earlier in the evening but did not, and officers found a knife in the arm of the couch.

The mother said she “shook and suffocated” her daughter, punched her in the throat, and laid on top of her to quiet her.

The medical examiner reported finding a bite mark on the toddler’s cheek and bleeding around the brain. Toxicology and microscopy tests are pending, and the investigation is still open.

Saud Ali, 27, has been charged with second- and third-degree murder. Her next court date is July 24.

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[Featured image: Saud Ali/Otter Lake County Detention Center]