A Mississippi grandmother was arrested Tuesday after officials found a baby girl stabbed, placed into a hot oven on Monday night.
Carolyn Jones, 48, is charged with first-degree murder for the death of her granddaughter in Shaw, Miss., Bolivar County Sheriff Kelvin Williams confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday.
The infant, 20-month-old Royalty Marie Floyd, was found by a relative who then contacted the Shaw Police Department. Upon arriving at the scene, the police contacted the Bolivar County Sheriff's Office for assistance.
Royalty had been living with Jones at the time of her death the sheriff's office said in a press release. It was unclear where the girl's parents were.
Jones had a court appearance Tuesday evening and was given a $500,000 bond.
When asked why Jones might have possibly committed the horrific act, Williams told reporters, "We're trying to figure that out ourselves. We have no idea at this point. Again, we might get some closure once we sit down with the investigator and once they present that to a judge for official charges."
He added, "Dark days such as these can only be brightened when justice is served."
Officials did not say what temperature the oven was at or how long the child may have been in it.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said investigators were still determining the girl's exact cause of death, as well as when she may have died. Williams said Tuesday that the girl's body had been sent to a crime lab for autopsy, where are state pathologist will try to determine whether the girl was dead before or after being put in the hot oven.
