Santa Monica Mother Charged In Death of 17 Month Old Daughter After Striking Infant with a Frying Pan

January 8, 2026--A 24-year-old Santa Monica woman has been formally charged with murder and felony assault on a child causing death in connection with the killing of her young daughter earlier this week.

Carmen Anita Degregg (born February 1, 2001) faces one count each of murder and felony assault on a child under eight causing death in case 26CJCF00125, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. If convicted as charged, she faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison." She apparently was detained 2 days ago by UCLA Police, after telling them she had hurt her child. They brought her to UCLA Santa Monica hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

Degregg's arraignment, originally scheduled for earlier this week, has been continued to January 9 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. She is being held on $2 million bail.The charges stem from an incident on January 6, when UCLA campus police detained Degregg after she approached officers and made statements indicating she had harmed her child and left the infant in an apartment on the 2000 block of Broadway in Santa Monica.

Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to the apartment around noon and found the child - described in reports as a girl between 15 and 17 months old - suffering from significant injuries. Paramedics transported her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Degregg lived with a man at the Charlie apartments, 2225 Broadway. It's unclear whether the man was also the baby's father.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri of the Family Violence Division's Complex Child Abuse Section. Multiple sources, including statements from the Santa Monica Police Department, the District Attorney's Office, and news reports from outlets such as ABC7, KTLA, FOX 11, the Los Angeles Times, and People, consistently state that the cause and manner of death are pending determination by the Medical Examiner.

The child was found with "significant injuries" on January 6, and some reports (including eyewitness accounts and local media like ABC7 and KTLA) mention that a frying pan was allegedly involved in the assault, based on information from neighbors or preliminary investigation details. However, authorities have not confirmed the specific nature of the injuries or the weapon publicly, and no details from the autopsy have been disclosed.

The investigation remains ongoing by the Santa Monica Police Department, with the cause and manner of death pending determination by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.Authorities have described the incident as isolated, with no threat to the public.

The allegations in this case describe extreme violence against a child who was entirely vulnerable and unable to protect herself," District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. "When a parent is accused of causing a child's death, our office has a duty to act decisively and to seek the maximum accountability permitted by law."