15 children found living in 'deplorable' Marietta apartment
Marietta parents arrest: 15 kids, 1 two-bedroom apartment
Marietta police arrested Derrick Jackson, Ashley Jackson, and Brianna Reynolds after discovering 15 children in a two-bedroom Bell's Ferry Road apartment. Investigators found nine beds and minimal food for 18 residents, resulting in 94 combined charges including child cruelty. All 15 children were placed in approved protective homes while several received medical care.
MARIETTA, Ga. - Three adults face 94 combined felony charges after Marietta police found 15 children crammed inside a two-bedroom apartment with minimal food and nine shared beds.
Marietta police apartment response
What we know:
Division of Family & Children Services staff called the Marietta Police Department last week for assistance with a welfare check regarding two children at an apartment complex at 1955 Bells Ferry Road.
Detectives immediately began seeking a search warrant after failing to make contact with an adult inside.
Before officers obtained the search warrant, 15 children between the ages of 1 and 17 walked out of the home.
DFCS staff relocated all 15 children into safe environments.
Roughly three hours after officers arrived, 40-year-old Ashley Jackson, 41-year-old Derrick Jackson and 36-year-old Briana Reynolds arrived at the scene.
The three adults explained to officers that they were the biological parents.
Investigators searched the two-bedroom apartment and discovered nine beds for all 18 residents to share.
Court documents revealed an insufficient amount of food, including just one jar of peanut butter and one box of uncooked pasta noodles.
Additionally, the warrants stated that there was no toilet paper in the residence and no evidence of there being toilet paper there recently.
A moldy blanket was also found hanging in one of the bedrooms.
Neighbors in the building said they frequently saw several of the children but had no idea 18 people lived inside the home.
Ashley Jackson, Derrick Jackson and Briana Reynolds (Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
By the numbers:
Police transported the three adults to MPD headquarters for interviews before filing formal charges.
The three parents are currently held in jail as legal proceedings move forward.
Each parent faces 30 counts of child cruelty, calculated as two counts per child.
The adults also face drug charges, with the father receiving an additional charge after attempting to sneak marijuana across guard lines:
- Ashley Jackson was charged with first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children and misdemeanor marijuana possession.
- Derrick Jackson was charged with first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children, misdemeanor marijuana possession and crossing the guard line.
- Briana Reynolds was charged with first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children and misdemeanor marijuana possession.
During booking, it was discovered that Jackson allegedly tried to smuggle marijuana via his rectum into the jail.
DFACS child protection care
What we don't know:
Authorities do not know how long all 18 people had been living inside the two-bedroom unit.
Police confirmed that some of the children required medical care, but officials have not detailed their specific medical conditions or treatments.
All 15 minors have since been moved to DFACS-approved homes.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Marietta Police Department, who explained how officers and DFCS staff conducted the welfare check and search warrant. This article has been updated since it was originally published.