Mother, who didn’t call for help when her 4-year-old son died and lived with his dead body for a while before wrapping him in a shopping bag and dumping his body, was sentenced
Georgia – In a deeply disturbing case in Georgia, a 31-year-old mother, identified as K. Cotton, who admitted to living with the dead body of her 4-year-old son, identified as Jayceion, before wrapping him in a shopping bag and dumping him behind a shopping center, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and concealing a death.
Cotton entered the guilty plea in court on Wednesday, a date that would have marked her son’s 9th birthday. The sentence brings legal closure to a case that stunned the community and left many grappling with the disturbing details of how Jayceion, a young child under state watch, died and was discarded. The court heard that Cotton never called for help when her son failed to wake up one morning in November 2021. Instead, she kept his body in her home for an extended period before abandoning it. The exact cause of death could not be determined, according to the medical examiner, due to the condition of the remains.
The case came to light months later when Cotton’s family and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) raised red flags. On January 20, 2022, DFCS reported that they had not been able to contact Cotton, despite repeated attempts. That same day, Cotton’s relatives also contacted the police department, saying they hadn’t seen Jayceion for several months. Cotton had recently told her family she would visit them and bring Jayceion—but never showed up.
When police couldn’t reach her, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was brought in to assist. On January 24, Cotton was arrested, but the case took a darker turn the following day when a child’s remains were discovered near a shopping center. The body had been wrapped in a shopping bag and a shower curtain. Dental records confirmed it was Jayceion. After her arrest, Cotton admitted to investigators that her son had died unexpectedly, but instead of seeking medical attention or alerting authorities, she chose to remain in the home with his body. Eventually, she transported and abandoned his remains, trying to evade law enforcement by fleeing across Georgia, including stops in Cordele, Americus, and Columbus.
This wasn’t the first time child welfare authorities had been involved with Cotton. According to reports, DFCS had been investigating ongoing reports of neglect, including allegations that Cotton was not feeding or bathing her children, particularly Jayceion and his older sister. Reports had been filed just two months before Jayceion’s death, but no action was taken that could have prevented the tragedy. Even more disturbing, similar concerns had been reported in the years leading up to the incident, but they had been closed or resolved without sufficient intervention.
District Attorney B. Rigby confirmed that the sentencing occurred on what would have been Jayceion’s 9th birthday. In a statement following the proceedings, officials acknowledged the pain of the loss and emphasized the importance of justice, even if it came after years of waiting. Cotton will serve her 25-year sentence in a Georgia state prison, with no mention of parole eligibility in the sentencing order. The death of Jayceion has become yet another tragic reminder of the dangers children can face when signs of abuse or neglect are left unanswered—and of the devastating consequences that can follow when caregivers fail to protect the most vulnerable.
