A New Mexico father was arrested on Friday after he admitted to beating his 5-year-old daughter to death when she refused to do her homework.

WWSB-TV reports Brandon Reynolds, 36, called 911 around 1 a.m. Friday to report his daughter was suffering from cardiac arrest. However, once paramedics with the Albuquerque Fire Rescue realized her injuries were not consistent with heart failure, they called the police.

"When rescue arrived they realized this was turning into a criminal situation and they called us and we took over the investigation," an Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson said Friday at a press conference. "AFR recognized that this wasn't consistent with what they were being told and it became a criminal investigation."

Emergency responders attempted to revive the girl as she was taken to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"Detectives learned from hospital staff that the girl had suffered serious injuries," Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier said. "Detectives from our crimes against children unit were called to the scene to investigate with the assistance of our homicide unit."

The father then told police he began spanking the girl with a water shoe when she refused to do her homework around 8 p.m. Thursday. Reynolds said during the beating he eventually "blacked out," according to a criminal complaint obtained by KOAT-TV.

Reynold was charged with child abuse, intentionally caused, resulting in the death of a child under 13.

"This is definitely a heartbreaking tragedy and our officers and detectives are working diligently at this time to get justice for this little girl," Geier told reporters.

Reynolds is being held at Metropolitan Detention Center.

Police said there were no other children in the house when Reynolds allegedly killed his daughter, and the Children Youth and Families Department did not find any history of abuse at the home.

Reynolds had sole custody of his daughter after a legal dispute with the child's mother, Chantel Dubois, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Reynolds was granted custody of his daughter after concerns were raised about the mother's marijuana use, the paper reported. After he received custody, he moved with the girl from California to New Mexico.