Woman Arrested After Boy, 4, Found Dead in Atlanta Townhome

Atlanta police went to a townhome in the Aviary Park community on Cardinal Drive around 7:20 p.m. on October 26 to conduct a welfare check. Officers forced their way inside and found the 4-year-old boy dead. Emergency personnel tried to revive him but were unsuccessful.

Police said Smoak, 32, departed the area with three children before officers reached the residence. One of the children was injured and taken to a hospital. Authorities said Smoak is a friend of the boy’s mother and is not related to the child.

Investigators relied on vehicle plate-scanning systems to locate Smoak’s vehicle in Washington, Georgia, more than 100 miles away. Wilkes County sheriff’s deputies arrested her there. She was booked into the Wilkes County Detention Center and is awaiting extradition.

Smoak faces charges of second-degree child cruelty and hiding another person’s death. The circumstances of the boy’s death have not been detailed, and police said the investigation is continuing.