( CNN ) -- Left to babysit her 6-month-old granddaughter , a suburban Chicago woman instead turned on the infant , bludgeoning her and cutting her throat , prosecutors said Monday . Alfreda Giedrojc is being held without bail after a court appearance Monday afternoon , said Tandra Simonton , a spokeswoman for the Cook County State 's Attorney 's office . She was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her granddaughter , Simonton said . The girl 's father brought her to Giedrojc 's home in the southwestern suburb of Oak Lawn on Sunday while he helped with repairs on a nearby home , Simonton told CNN . `` Her father and grandfather had stepped out of the grandparents ' house for a short time when this horrific event took place , '' Oak Lawn police said in a written statement on the death . While her husband was away , Giedrojc laid the child on the floor , pulled a sledgehammer from a nearby closet and swung it down on her head and body several times . She then picked the baby up and used a carving knife to slit her throat when she was still alive , Simonton said . Oak Lawn Det . Mike Kaufmann said the 61-year-old Giedrojc expressed remorse for the child 's death when questioned , and investigators have found no record of previous arrests or mental illness . Attempts to reach the public defender assigned to represent Giedrojc were unsuccessful Monday evening . Georgia teen gets life plus 105 years in infant 's killing . 16-month-old boy shot , killed in stroller . Police : 8-year-old shoots , kills elderly caregiver .
Police say grandmother killed infant with gun , knife . Alfreda Giedrojc has been charged with first - degree murder and is held without bail . Investigators say she expressed remorse for the infant 's death .