Decatur mom gets life for leaving special needs daughter to die in closet
Alivia Hobbs-Jordan (Courtesy of the family)
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A Decatur woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the murder of her seven-year-old special needs daughter, whose mummified remains were found abandoned in a closet.
What we know:
On April 23, Alondra Hobbs, 29, entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to charges of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, and two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. The charges stem from the June 25, 2023, discovery of her daughter, Alivia Jordan, whose body was found strapped in a stroller inside a bedroom closet at a Misty Waters Drive apartment.
Alondra Hobbs. Courtesy of DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
DeKalb County Police responded to the apartment complex in unincorporated Decatur after receiving an anonymous 911 tip reporting the presence of a deceased child. Officers found Alivia’s body in a severely decomposed state, and investigators later determined Hobbs had moved out of the apartment months earlier.
During a police interview, Hobbs admitted to placing her daughter in the closet confined to a stroller before leaving her alone in the apartment. Hobbs stated Alivia was alive at the time but claimed her life had become "too much." Medical records revealed that Alivia was autistic and suffered from seizures due to cerebral palsy.
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DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson accepted Hobbs’ guilty plea and immediately sentenced her to life without parole.
What they're saying:
"Alivia Jordan did not deserve the slow, painful, and lonely death she suffered at the hands of her mother," said District Attorney Sherry Boston. "I hope her family finds some comfort in knowing that Alondra Hobbs is being held fully accountable. I want parents to know that abandoning a child is never the right choice and help is available for those who are struggling. "
Boston urged struggling families to seek assistance through FindHelpGA.org, a statewide resource portal for social and health services.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Edward Chase and Senior Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Reese, with support from DA Investigator Rosalyn Byrd and Supervising Victim Advocate Yuzellie Garcia. Detective Heavner of the DeKalb County Police Department led the investigation.