Police are investigating after a 4-year-old girl was found dead this afternoon at the Boulevard Houses on Linden Boulevard.

Although police say they weren't called until noon, when the child was found unresponsive, neighbors say they heard loud banging on the walls at around 9 p.m. last night. Neighbors believe the girl was beaten to death by her mother's boyfriend, who residents say had abused the girl before.

The girl was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital and the medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine a cause of death.