Helen Ford, 51, is being held without bond.
Investigators say she was taking care of Gizzell Ford Friday when paramedics found the girl dead, her body covered with blunt force injuries and cuts.
The child's father was also home but investigators say he is bed-ridden and incapable of inflicting the kinds of injuries evident on the child's body.
"If somebody else would have saw what was going on they probably would told us, 'Hey you got to get this little girl out of here, they're beating her up.' Something, because I know we would have done something about it," said Ivan Celgado, the victim's uncle.
The Department of Child and Family Services says there were two other kids also in Helen Ford's care. They have been taken into protective custody.
