A 19-year-old father who battered and bit his one-year-old daughter to death is facing up to 40 years behind bars after handing himself in to police.

Defenceless Maya Simor Pereira's horrified mum found her daughter unresponsive and covered in bites and bruises after leaving her alone with her dad.

Picture shows the house where the couple lived, undated. A father confessed to have killed his daughter in Cariacica, Brazil. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)

Paramedics in Cariacica, in the state of Espirito Santo,, Brazil, declared Maya dead at the scene on 17th May and found bite marks on her body and deep bruising on her arms, legs and eyes.

Her father Thiago Colodoni Barcelos fled but appeared later at a police station to hand himself in and confess.

Maya's mother, also 19 and nine months pregnant by Barcelos, was also quizzed by police but not held.

Barcelos has been charged with femicide, a more serious charge than murder under Brazilian law with a longer maximum sentence.

Maya's mother claimed he had been violent to his daughter since she was born because he did not believe he was her dad.

Picture shows the street where the couple lived, undated. A father confessed to have killed his daughter in Cariacica, Brazil. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)

Police have sent Maya's body for an autopsy to establish her cause of death.

Barcelos is being held in custody at the Viana Detention Centre awaiting trial.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)