James Hayes and Kennedi Ponder. Photos courtesy of Atlanta Police Department
ATLANTA - Two people have been arrested months after an infant was found unresponsive at a northwest Atlanta home and later died at a hospital, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
What we know:
APD homicide detectives, assisted by the department's Fugitive Unit, arrested James Hayes and Kennedi Ponder on Aug. 6 while serving an arrest warrant at a home on Mary George Avenue NW.
Police said both were taken into custody without incident and transported to Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters for interviews with homicide detectives.
Charges filed
Hayes, 32, is expected to be charged with second-degree murder, first-degree child cruelty, second-degree child cruelty and first-degree child cruelty involving the deprivation of necessary sustenance.
Ponder, 31, is expected to face first-degree child cruelty, second-degree child cruelty and first-degree child cruelty involving the deprivation of necessary sustenance.
Police did not provide additional details about the allegations against Hayes and Ponder or explain their relationship to the child.
Infant died in May
The backstory:
The investigation began on May 2 when officers were called to a home on Mary George Avenue shortly before 7:50 a.m. for a report of a person down.
Officers found an unresponsive infant at the home. Grady EMS transported the child to Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts.
APD's Homicide Unit began investigating the circumstances surrounding the child's death. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office took custody of the infant's body.