Atlanta Tragedy: Child Found Dead in Closet After Being Left Alone
Police say a 4-year-old boy was beaten to death in a townhome before his body was hidden under a pile of clothes.
By Wyatt Cooper ·
Four-year-old Colby Cooks was found dead under a mound of clothing in a master bedroom closet on Monday evening. The discovery occurred at 7:20 p.m. during a welfare check at a home in Atlanta.
Authorities determined the boy died from blunt force trauma. The coroner’s report lists severe injuries, including a lacerated liver and spleen, burns, bruises, possible broken limbs, and older healed scars. Investigators estimate Cooks died 12 to 24 hours before police found his body.
Two women have been arrested in connection with the death. Jasmaine Smoak, 32, and Jasmine Tyree Jenkins, 30, face charges of murder and first-degree cruelty to children. Arrest warrants state that Smoak was the primary caretaker for Cooks and four other children living in the townhome. None of the children are related to her. Jenkins, a friend of Smoak, also resided at the property.
According to the warrants, the women left the children unattended on Sunday evening to go out. On Monday, Smoak called her father and claimed the unresponsive child had taken some medication. Her father then called 911 to report that his daughter had left the home. Smoak drove away in a Mercedes-Benz with the four surviving children before police located her in Wilkes County.
One surviving child, a 5-year-old, was hospitalized in Augusta for malnourishment and facial injuries. Doctors attributed those injuries to abuse. Smoak is currently being held at Fulton County Jail. Jenkins remains in Wilkes County while awaiting extradition to Fulton County.
Source: WSMV-TV
