Case moves forward for mother who slept with heated blanket while her 4-year-old daughter was 'cold to the touch' and died with colon infection: Police

Inset: Sarah Brubaker being arrested by authorities (WJAC/YouTube). Background: The house in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, where the suspect and victim lived (WJAC/YouTube).

A case is moving forward in Pennsylvania concerning a mother who authorities say neglected her 4-year-old daughter until the child died from a bacterial infection and was "cold to the touch."

Sarah Brubaker, 36, faces charges including third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to Clearfield County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.

She appeared in court on Friday for a preliminary hearing, during which the presiding judge ruled the case will proceed to trial, per west-central NBC affiliate WJAC.

As Law&Crime previously reported, on Dec. 20, Brubaker was at her house in DuBois when she found her young daughter "cold to the touch," a criminal complaint in the case states. DuBois is located in central Pennsylvania, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Brubaker and the child's father tried to care for the girl before taking her to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An autopsy later found that the girl died from pseudomembranous colitis, which is described by the Mayo Clinic as "advanced inflammation of the colon that can cause serious or life-threatening diarrhea."

The medical examiner reportedly ruled the child's death a homicide caused by neglect.

When police spoke with the defendant about her daughter's death, Brubaker allegedly said her daughter had not eaten for at least two weeks and had been having diarrhea. Brubaker added that the girl had balance issues and had been feeling weak.

In court on Friday, officers with the DuBois Police Department testified that the family's home had "freezing conditions," per the local TV station. One officer said it was so cold that there was frost on the windows.

The heating system — a free natural gas well on the property — wasn't broken, but it had been shut off.

Brubaker and the child's father apparently slept with heated blankets. The father reportedly died not long after his daughter from complications connected to hypothermia.

The defendant is due back in court on Nov. 18 for a formal arraignment.