Chicago ? The mother of a 5-year-old Illinois girl has been charged with beating the child to death, authorities announced Sunday.

Mila Petrov, 29 – who gave birth to a son Wednesday, one day after her daughter was hospitalized for her injuries – was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in what Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called the most horrific case of child abuse he had ever seen.

At a news conference announcing the charges Sunday, Dart outlined three years of abuse suffered by Melanie Beltran, including being routinely tied up, struck repeatedly, burned with cigarettes, and being forced to eat hot peppers and drink out of the toilet.

“These were the acts of a despicable animal,” Dart said.