The mother of a 4-year-old girl whose death is the subject of a Dayton police investigation said she did not neglect her daughter.

“I never neglected my daughter in any type of way. I loved my daughter,” Robleta Scott said. “I want my daughter here, right now with me.”

Scott’s daughter, Takara Scott of West Bruce Avenue, died around 12:17 p.m. Saturday at Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. She was taken there last week after the young girl’s brother found her unresponsive at the West Bruce address, according to police.

Police immediately began an investigation, which is normal procedure for the Dayton Police Department when there is a death involving a child. Initial reports to WHIO-TV were that the police investigation involved whether or not the little girl had died as a the result of neglect, but the little girl’s aunt told WHIO-TV that the girl had been sick for some time and was not neglected.

“There was never any neglect over here. I love my kids. I love them so much that if there wasn’t enough money to get the things they needed, I would go without,” the single mother said, referring to her seven children. Takara, nicknamed Smiley and Cheesy, was her fifth child and third daughter.

“Four weeks ago I took her to the emergency room because she had been sick and wasn’t able to swallow,” Robleta Scott said. She added that doctors told her that Takara was dehydrated and they found blood in her urine and that the blood came from her kidney as the result of the dehydration. Scott was able to take her daughter home.

Initial police reports suggested that the little girl may have suffered kidney failure and a cardiac arrest before being placed on life support Thursday.

“They said her organs had failed her. They failed,” Scott said between bursts of tears.

Police said they are waiting on a Montgomery County Coroner’s report before moving forward. A coroner’s official said Tuesday that the cause of the little girl’s death was still pending.