Mother Held in Death of Daughter, 11

A woman was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in the death of her 11-year-old daughter, who died in a hospital after apparently being beaten during an argument, police said.

Sharon Thomas, hospitalized with a blackened eye, other facial injuries and a cut leg, suffered cardiac arrest and died about 2 a.m. at California Medical Center, Lt. Doug Collisson said.

Detectives booked the girl’s mother, Eara Ross, 33, of Los Angeles on suspicion of murder after interviewing the woman, her boyfriend and other residents of the Budlong Avenue neighborhood where she lived with her four children, Detective Verne King said.

An autopsy was expected to determine the exact cause of the girl’s injuries and death, King said.

Neighbors who heard loud yelling called paramedics to an apartment belonging to the boyfriend’s mother in the 2600 block of Budlong Avenue shortly before 2 a.m., King said.

“The mother became upset with the little girl. There was an argument about something,” King said. “We interviewed the mother and . . . we have evidence enough so that we were able to arrest her.”