Girl, 5, Spent Her Last Night Alive Locked in a Box — and Mom Allegedly Said, ‘I Should Probably Go to Jail’

Nearly four months after 5-year-old Izabella Loving was found dead inside her Cold Springs, Nevada home, her mother has been arrested and charged in connection with the child’s death.

According to multiple outlets including the Reno Gazette-Journal, KOLO-TV, and KRNV, Andrea Loving turned herself in at the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, July 28. She now faces a felony charge of child abuse causing substantial bodily harm. Her husband — and Izabella’s father — Nicholas Loving, had already been arrested shortly after the April 3 incident and faces the same charge.

Authorities responded to the Loving family’s home that morning and found Izabella unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom, lying beside a small mattress without a bed frame. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A probable cause affidavit cited by KRNV alleges Izabella had extensive injuries, including trauma to her face, hips, pelvis, arms, and genitals. She reportedly had ten visible injuries on her face alone, including a black eye and a cut above one eye.

According to the affidavit, Nicholas admitted to investigators that on Izabella’s final night alive, he took her temperature — reportedly reading 96 or 97 degrees — gave her a bath, and placed her inside a locked, makeshift 5-by-5-foot box used as a sleeping space. He described the box as something they “sometimes” used as punishment.

While Izabella was confined in the small box, the couple’s other two daughters slept in a queen-sized bed.

At around midnight, one of the other children woke up the parents to report that Izabella was vomiting. However, the affidavit claims Nicholas waited five hours before calling 911 the next morning.

Andrea allegedly told detectives that Nicholas prevented her from calling for help. She also reportedly admitted: “I should go to jail for not helping her and Nick should go to jail for killing her,” according to News4/Fox 11.

The official cause of Izabella’s death has not yet been released.

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks issued a brief statement to PEOPLE, saying: “While we cannot comment on an active prosecution, we remain firmly committed to securing full justice for Izabella Loving in the proceedings ahead.”

If you suspect a child is being abused, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org. The hotline is confidential, toll-free, and operates 24/7 in over 170 languages.