BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas child welfare agency determined Friday that a 3-year-old girl whose battered body was found this month died as the result of child abuse, a belated finding that comes months after the agency first received reports of abuse.

Laura Howard, Secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said in an phone interview that she doesn't see anything at this time that leads her to question her staff's actions or suggests "any missteps" by her agency.

"What is really important to me in circumstances like this is that we do a deeper dive," Howard said. "We...