Photo:DeKalb County Police Department
DeKalb County Police Department
Police in Georgia may have found body in the search for 2-year-old J’Asiah Mitchell.
J’Asiah was reported missing on August 16, after his father, 23-year-old Artavious North, told police the boy had been kidnapped during an armed robbery, police said, per multiple reports.
However, North was charged with making false statements and falsely reporting a crime after investigators were unable to find evidence related to his claims, the outlets reported. It’s not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.
Police have said North is a person of interest in J’Asiah’s disappearance.
A spokesperson for the East Point police also toldThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionon Thursday that while police have not yet confirmed the identity of the body found, “there is a high probability” that the body is J’Asiah’s “based on the circumstances surrounding this case.”
East Point police Chief Shawn Buchanan toldThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionthat if the DNA matches, police would consider bringing charges against North. He added that there were no other suspects or persons of interest.
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After the body was found, East Point police Sgt. Ricki Michaud and Buchanan said during a press conference Wednesday, per theJournal-Constitution,“We’re happy to see it come to some closure. But everybody working this case was hoping … the child was alive."
“This has been a very traumatic case. Most of us have children, so a lot of detectives are emotional right now,” Buchanan continued. “But I want to make it clear: We are looking at the father as a suspect and looking to charge him with the highest charges possible to make sure he never gets out of jail.”
source: people.com
