The cause of death for a 2-year-old Bucksport girl has been revealed, as her father's ex-girlfriend faces a murder charge.

The case of Kloe Hawksley's death has been under investigation since October of 2017, when first responders answered a 911 call to a home on Central Street in Bucksport. There had been no breaks in the case until earlier this month when 21-year-old Savannah Smith was arrested at the Spring Fountain Motel in Bucksport and charged with murder. Smith was in a relationship with Kloe's father, Tyler, at the time of the girl's death.

WLBZ-TV reports a court document revealed that Kloe died from a 'blow to her abdomen.' Smith told police that Kloe was knocked over by the family dog and hit her chin. The 21-year-old also told police that, at one point during the day, Kloe could be heard crying in her bedroom, and the girl's brother told her that Kloe had fallen off the bed. Smith says she stopped crying and got back into bed and was still asleep when she checked on the kids at 5:30 in the evening. She says she didn't notice the bruises all over the child's body until the next morning.

The State Medical Examiner's Office determined that Kloe had been dead for between four and six hours before first responders found her. She was reportedly injured four to ten hours before her death.

Smith pleaded not-guilty, has been denied bail, and will remain in jail until her trial. The judge said that her unstable living situation weighed into the decision, since she was living at the motel with her new boyfriend, at the time of her arrest. In addition, a caseworker revealed that Smith has three children, all of whom are in DHHS custody.

More From WQCB Brewer Maine