A Queens man was charged Tuesday with murder in the death of a three-year-old girl, who, according to sources, is his stepdaughter.

Mark Jenkins, 32, of Rockaway Park, faces multiple charges in the death of Bella Edwards.

The Medical Examiner said Tuesday night that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

Police sources also said the child's body showed signs of sexual abuse.

The Queens district attorney's office said the girl's mother found Bella unconscious and not breathing in her home on Beach 105th St. in Seaside around 6 p.m. Monday.

The little girl was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The district attorney's office said Jenkins was in the apartment with Bella and her three-month-old sibling for about eight hours Monday. Police sources said her mother, Shamika Gonzalez, left the child with Jenkins.

In an emotional message on Facebook, Bella's mother appeared to apologize: "Bella i'm so sorry I wasn't their to protect you," she wrote. "This feels like a bad dream I cant wake up from."

After Bella's death, the police removed her three-month old brother from the home.

Neighbors said they are heartbroken and are in shock because the family seemed happy.

"My prayers, my thoughts and prayers are with the family," said one neighbor. "I just know them from passing, and I just want them to know that everyone in surfside is thinking about them."

"Nothing remarkable, except how cute she was," another neighbor said.

"I've know her since she was born, and her mother and her grandmother were the most wonderful parents they could be to little Bella," neighbor Michelle Mevorach said.

If convicted, Jenkins faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

The Special Victims unit and the Queens district attorney's office are investigating.

The city's Administration for Children's Services said it had no previous contact with the family, but it will investigate.

"We will make every effort to get to the bottom of what happened there. I can tell you that we have made sure the other child in the home is safe," said David Hansell, the commissioner for the city's Administration for Children's Services.

Sources say Jenkins has prior arrests and served time for attempted murder.

Bella's mother also took to Facebook to announce a vigil in her daughter's memory Wednesday evening. She asked friends and family to bring candles and pink balloons, noting Bella loved Minnie Mouse.