at 21:54 on May 31, 2009, EDT.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OCOEE, Fla. - Billy Bob Thornton's daughter faces charges in the death of a one-year-old girl she was babysitting in October, a celebrity gossip website reported Sunday.

Police in Ocoee, Fla., confirmed that 29-year-old Amanda Brumfield is charged with child neglect causing harm or disability and was in custody.

Website tmz.com reported she is Thornton's daughter, but police spokesman Lee Stephens said the police records department was closed Sunday and he couldn't find out whether Brumfield is related to Thornton.

Thornton's publicist Arnold Robinson said the actor has not had contact with Brumfield for quite some time.

Brumfield told police a girl she was babysitting hit her head in a fall in an Ocoee home on Oct. 3, Det. James Berish said in a news release.

Brumfield called for help more than two hours later when she couldn't revive the girl, police in the city near Orlando said.

An autopsy determined the girl had a fractured skull and brain injury. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and said the explanation Brumfield gave was inconsistent with the child's injuries, police said.

Robinson wouldn't confirm that Brumfield was the woman arrested, but that when Thornton was "informed about this situation" he commented that, "Anytime a baby's life is lost is an unimaginable tragedy and my heart goes out to the baby's family and loved ones."

Police did not know whether Brumfield had an attorney.


©The Canadian Press, 2009