EDGECOMB — Police have not released any more information about the death of a 3-year-old child who was rushed to a hospital Christmas morning after someone discovered she was unresponsive and not breathing.

But a neighbor said Tuesday that investigators wanted to know whether anyone heard screaming or banging coming from the apartment where the toddler and her family lived.

The child was a 3-year-old girl, according to an emergency dispatch recording, but police have declined to identify her or her family.

Detectives and crime scene investigators descended on the Townhomes at Davis Island on Route 1 in Edgecomb after someone called 911 at 7:37 a.m. to report the girl was not breathing.

The girl was rushed to Miles Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Detectives and police officers then went to the small complex to collect evidence and talk to neighbors. The business cards of a state police detective were still stuck in the door frames of residents who were not home at the time and had yet to return.

State police policy calls for investigating all deaths of children who are not under a doctor’s care.

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Investigators at the scene worked Sunday night and all day Monday. An autopsy was conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta on Monday, but police declined to release the cause or manner of death, citing the pending investigation.

One neighbor, who did not give their name out of respect for the family, said the child’s mother was crying when she returned to the apartment complex Monday evening with two other women.

“I saw her here last night, she was grabbing things, packing things up. I don’t know if she was a victim.”

The neighbor said the mother had two other children and another man was often seen at the home, presumably a boyfriend.

Detectives asked about any loud commotions.

“They asked if I had heard any loud screaming or banging,” the neighbor said, adding that there was none.

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Police have not said whether they believe the death involved foul play or given any indication of progress in the investigation.

“We will not have an update most likely for a couple of days as detectives work through some things,” Shannon Moss, spokeswoman for Maine State Police, said in an email.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse, declined to comment on the case or whether the family had come to the agency’s attention before Sunday.

“Due to state and federal statutory prohibitions, and to avoid compromising law enforcement’s investigation, the department is unable to comment on this matter,” said Jackie Farwell, an agency spokeswoman.

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