A day after allegedly admitting to St. Paul police that she had drowned her 6-year-old daughter, Kayla Marie Jones was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Jones, 25, drowned the girl to "save her from this world," she was quoted as saying in a Ramsey County District Court complaint.

In a brief court appearance Wednesday afternoon, Jones was asked by District Judge Shawn Bartsch if she understood that she would be seen by a doctor who would offer an opinion on her ability to participate in court proceedings. Jones replied simply, "Yes."

Also in the courtroom was the dead girl's father. He later left the law enforcement center without speaking with reporters.

About 8:10 a.m. Tuesday, officers responding to a call about a girl drowned in a bathtub arrived at an apartment building in the 1300 block of Maynard Avenue E. in the Highland Park neighborhood to find the suspect's boyfriend crying and screaming, charges say.

"Is this really happening? This can't be happening!" he said. "Things aren't that bad. How could she do this to her daughter?"

Jones, showing no emotion, with her clothes soaking wet, raised her hands as if in surrender when an officer approached. She was then arrested.

Later, at police headquarters, Jones told a police sergeant that she believed her daughter, Azaria Nicole Jones, had been molested, and that she put the girl in the tub and held her face down as she kicked and thrashed, after watching television and hearing: "Save the child, don't send him … to the monster," authorities say.

She held the girl underwater for "like a minute or two," she was quoted as saying.

Jones also told the sergeant that she had been molested as a child.

Asked if she felt bad about what had happened, Jones allegedly replied: "I do, I just can't even feel anything right now. I still can't believe this (expletive) … that I could do this to my own … daughter."

In a statement, County Attorney John Choi said: "The actions of the defendant are both chilling and heartbreaking. As a parent, my thoughts are with the deceased 6-year-old, her family and the many others whose lives will be forever affected by this tragedy. We will pursue the appropriate level of justice in this case."

Dennis Gerhardstein, a County Attorney's Office spokesman, said Wednesday that there were no indications of any earlier contact between Jones and county child protective services.

In July, Jones pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to disorderly conduct, a petty misdemeanor, after an incident at a Maplewood beauty school during which she reportedly jumped on a desk, used offensive and obscene language, and vowed to an officer that she would return to "kick their ass."

She is scheduled to be in court on the murder charge on Jan. 7.

Anthony Lonetree • 651-925-5036