Two Women Charged After Boy Found Dead in Atlanta Home

Police found the boy beneath clothes in an upstairs closet at a home in Atlanta during a welfare check on October 26. Authorities said he died from blunt force injuries, including damage to his liver and spleen, and had burns, bruises and older injuries. Investigators estimated he had been dead for 12 to 24 hours when found.

Jasmaine Smoak, 32, had been caring for the boy and other children at the home. Jasmine Tyree Jenkins, 30, who also lived there, was arrested with Smoak. Both women face murder and child-cruelty charges. Smoak also faces an aggravated-assault charge.

The investigation began after Smoak’s father called 911, saying she had told him an unresponsive child had gotten into medication. Smoak drove away from the residence in a Mercedes-Benz, taking the surviving children. Authorities later located her and the children in Wilkes County. One child, a 5-year-old, was hospitalized in Augusta with malnourishment and facial injuries that doctors attributed to abuse.

Smoak is in custody at the jail in Fulton County, whereas Jenkins remains in Wilkes County awaiting extradition. The boy’s relatives have remembered him as affectionate and playful, and a great-aunt started a fundraiser for funeral and medical expenses.