According to the police officials, the body of an autistic 8-year-old who had been missing since Sunday was found on Tuesday morning. The 27-year-old mother and her 29-year-old partner are now charged with murder, cruelty to children and other charges. It is not yet clear how long the child’s body had been at the site where it was found, or whether she was killed there or died elsewhere and her body was just dumped at that site. An autopsy is pending.
Prosecutors said the 27-year-old mother, Brittany Hall, is charged with cruelty to children and making a false report of a crime and her 29-year-old partner, Celeste Owens, is now charged with murder and cruelty to children.
The 27-year-old mother told authorities that she woke up Sunday morning to realize that her 8-year-old daughter Nicole Amari Hall was missing from their family apartment in Georgia. The mother told officers that the child had been missing since about midnight. The young girl lived with autism, prosecutors said.
Investigators responded to the scene on Sunday to investigate. When evidence began to indicate that it was unlikely Amari would be found safe, the Homicide Unit joined the investigation. Interviews with the victim’s mother gave police a general idea of where her daughter’s body was located.
The victim’s body was discovered in the woods around Juliet Drive. It is not yet clear how long the child’s body had been at the site where it was found, or whether she was killed there or died elsewhere and her body was just dumped at that site. An autopsy is pending, prosecutors said.
The Division of Family and Children Services took a 6-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy from the home. Hall and Owens physically abused kids, prosecutors said.
Jail records show Owens was arrested on Sunday while Hall was arrested on Monday. Both women are being held without bond. This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.