COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A 5-year-old Marietta boy is dead, and his parents are facing child cruelty charges.
Investigators say the alleged abuse went on for months, Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell learned.
Police and medics were called to the home Sunday and found the boy on the floor and unresponsive.
“This is a tragic call that no first responder wants to get,” said Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy, Marietta Police Department.
According to arrest warrants, investigators say the father, Michael Horn, tortured his son and withheld food from him.
Court documents show the mother, Alexiss Eitrem, made no efforts to stop the abuse that investigators say went on over the course of five months.
The child’s parents told 911 he was unresponsive even after they performed CPR. First responders did all they could.
The child was taken to the hospital and later Life Flighted to another. He died Wednesday morning.
“While he was on life support on Monday morning, we already had enough evidence from what was collected on scene and witness statements that both parents were taken into custody,” McPhilamy said.
Police say they can’t share specifics about the case, as it is still active, but the arrest warrants issued before the boy died state investigators say the boy suffered from blunt force trauma.
Police say his four siblings were also in the home.
“They will be held accountable. We are looking to try to protect the remaining children,” McPhilamy said. “It’s a tragic outcome to a situation. We need the public’s time as we begin that investigation now into what actually caused that death.”
Police previously said charges would likely be upgraded following the 5-year-old’s death. Eitrem, 31, was first charged with five counts of second-degree child cruelty.
Horn, 31, faces charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, first-degree child cruelty and four counts of second-degree child cruelty.
The parents are booked into the Cobb County Jail.
You can report abuse cases to the 24/7 hotline for Georgia’s Child Protective Services at 855-GA-CHILD (855-422-4453).
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