Thornton's ex defends their daughter

OCOEE, Fla., June 2 (UPI) -- Billy Bob Thornton's ex-wife says their daughter, who was arrested on child-neglect charges, is devastated about the death of her godchild while in her care.

Thornton said he has long been estranged from his 29-year-old daughter, Amanda Brumfield, who was arrested last week in connection with the death of a 1-year-old girl she was babysitting for last October. Brumfield was later released on $2,500 bail, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said.

Brumfield's mother, Melissa Parish, told TMZ Brumfield had "no reason" to call 911 when the baby fell from her playpen because there were "no signs of distress."

The entertainment news Web site said Parish compared the incident to the March death of actress Natasha Richardson, Thornton's co-star in the movie "Waking Up in Reno," who reportedly seemed fine after sustaining a head injury while skiing, then fell critically ill and died several days later.

"When you have a situation that does not indicate distress ... there are no signs of distress, then there is no reason to immediately call police," Parish told TMZ, adding Brumfield fell asleep with the child, then awoke hours later to find the infant unresponsive and called for help.

TMZ said officials determined the girl died from a subdural hematoma.

Parish also said Brumfield was best friends with the baby's mother and added Brumfield is "devastated" by the child's death.

However, the Sun-Sentinel said the Orange-Osceola County medical examiner declared the baby's death a homicide after deciding her injuries were inconsistent with Brumfield's story.

"I stood up at the funeral and defended her," Heather Murphy, the baby's mother, told the newspaper. "I know that Amanda loved Liv, but two months ago it was ruled a homicide. Right now we are just waiting for the truth, that's all we want."