The Brighton mother who police say murdered her daughter and then killed herself reportedly had a history of abusing the child.

Channel 7 WXYZ in Detroit reports that Shelby Township Police responded to a residence in that community in September of 2017 where a man, identified as the father of the 5-year-old girl found dead in a Brighton apartment Monday, told officers his daughter’s mom, Melissa Partee, had choked and beat their daughter, who was three at the time. Brighton Police say the 38-year-old Partee shot herself in the head after killing her daughter, likely by drugging her and then strangling her. There are reportedly pictures the dad took at the time of the 2017 incident showing bruises on the girl.

Sources told the TV station that Shelby Township Police turned the case over to CPS who followed up as the mom moved out of town. Court records also apparently indicate the father reported numerous incidents of abuse, including that Partee burned their daughter with a hair dryer and ignoring her screams for help in hot bath water. He is also reported to have told authorities that he caught her throwing their daughter to the ground then telling her she hates her. Court documents reportedly show Partee denied all of the allegations. (JK)