Mom, who was seen by her chiId pIacing toiIet paper in her disabIed 8-year-oId’s mouth before the chiId was struck in the head by her girIfriend, resuIting in fataI injuries, before both women took steps to conceaI the death and dispose of the body, was sentenced

Georgia – A Georgia woman was ordered to spend the rest of her Iife behind bars after pIeading guiIty to felony murder, eleven counts of crueIty to chiIdren, conceaIing the death of another and making faIse statements in connection with the death of her chiId, Amary. The District Attorney’s Office announced the plea and sentence following court proceedings this week.

According to the Georgia authorities, the investigation process began after the 8-year-old child, who had au tism, was reported missing in Nov. 2021. Police located the child’s body days later in a wooded area. An autopsy and subsequent medical review showed the victim suffered blunt force injuries, fractured ribs, internal bIeeding and signs consistent with long-term abuse, which led investigators to treat the case as a homicide.

Early in the investigation, the mother, 31-year-old B. HaII, and her girIfriend, CeIeste, told officers that the victim had disappeared from their extended-stay hotel room. Detectives soon found inconsistencies in the women’s statements and recovered evidence that prompted a deeper review. Police say videos and other material recovered during the probe showed instances of physical abuse to the child and to her siblings, which investigators used to corroborate other evidence of ongoing mistreatment. Those findings helped shift the case from a missing-child inquiry to a criminal homicide investigation.

As detectives interviewed witnesses and family members, they also re-interviewed both defendants about the timeline and details. Prosecutors say the women gave differing accounts about where the child had last been seen and what happened in the hours before she was reported missing. Georgia authorities later allege the mom’s girIfriend struck the child in the head, resulting in fatal injuries, and that both women took steps to conceal the death and dispose of the body. The co-defendant was tried separately and was convicted by a jury last year; she received a sentence of life plus additional years. The mother’s plea followed the evidence developed during her girIfriend’s trial and the county’s investigation. 

During court proceedings earlier in the co-defendant’s trial, the victim’s young sister testified about the night before the victim died. The sibling said she saw their mother place toilet paper in the child’s mouth and later watched actions the child described that prosecutors said amounted to efforts to hide the body. The sibling also testified that the victim wouldn’t wake up the next day. That courtroom testimony was part of a broader body of evidence, including forensic findings and investigative interviews, that authorities say established a pattern of abuse.

Police and prosecutors described a pattern of prior contacts and health records that raised concerns before the child’s death. Investigators reviewed medical records and prior reports showing unexplained injuries and signs of neglect. The medical examiner’s findings, combined with video evidence and witness statements, formed the basis for the charges brought by the District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s office described the child’s cause of death and the long-term abuse in its public statement announcing the guilty plea.

At sentencing, the court imposed life in prison on the mother for the felony murder count, along with the other counts to which she pleaded guilty. The DA’s office said the plea and sentence reflect the seriousness of the abuse and the efforts to conceal the child’s death. Prosecutors said they hope the sentence brings some measure of accountability for the victim and underscores the community’s interest in protecting vulnerable children.