Rodney McWeay murder trial: DFCS investigator testifies about welfare checks

Rodney McWeay murder trial: DFCS investigator testifies
Ashia Hawkins, a child protection investigator, testified about alarming conditions in McWeay's home, including children locked in a room and the presence of feces, mold, and mildew. DFCS temporarily removed the children from the home, but McWeay later retrieved them, leading Hawkins to fear for their lives due to neglect and lack of food.
ATLANTA - The trial of Rodney McWeay, the Atlanta father accused of starving his 4-year-old daughter to death, resumed for a fourth day Friday in Fulton County Superior Court, with disturbing new testimony shedding light on the home where authorities say three children were trapped in squalor and neglect.
The backstory:
McWeay, 32, is charged with murder, kidnapping, and child cruelty in connection with the December 2023 death of his daughter, Treasure McWeay. He has pleaded not guilty and faces multiple life sentences if convicted.
What they're saying:
On the stand Friday was Ashia Hawkins, a child protection investigator with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), who testified about an attempted welfare check at the family’s home in June 2023—six months before Treasure’s death. Hawkins told jurors she had requested assistance from Atlanta Police after a tip raised concerns about McWeay and his three children.
"The kids are locked in that room," Hawkins recalled telling officers, referencing what was later confirmed by body camera footage.
Hawkins described a hostile encounter with McWeay, saying he tried to block their entry. "He was upset, aggressive," she testified. "He wanted to close the door. I told him there will not be closing doors today."
Inside the home, Hawkins said, the conditions were alarming: "Monitors everywhere, wiring exposed," she said. "What did it smell like? Feces, mold, mildew."
She recounted a chilling interaction with McWeay in which he demonstrated how he disciplined his children.
"This is how I have my kids trained," Hawkins said McWeay told her. "He pulled the door, pulled out a key, unlocked the door, snapped his finger, pointed to the floor — and [Treasure] sat on the floor. I said this is animalistic."
Asked whether Treasure was able to speak, Hawkins replied, "No," adding that the girl made unintelligible sounds: "She’s like ‘wa, wa, wa, wa.’ That’s how she was sounding," Hawkins said, before becoming emotional. "I’m sorry," she said, sobbing.
DFCS temporarily removed all three children from the home and placed them with their mother in Maryland. But Hawkins said McWeay later retrieved them and brought them back to Georgia.
"I knew the children were going to die," Hawkins said. When asked why, she replied, "They weren’t being fed."
Dig deeper:
Earlier in the week, McWeay’s aunt, Dawn Kamara, testified that he had long struggled with parenting and holding down a job. She offered to help him care for the children when he worked at a local Dollar Tree, but said he declined.
Prosecutors allege that McWeay isolated the children inside a mold-infested duplex, monitoring them with surveillance cameras and depriving them of basic needs, including food, water, and access to bathrooms. Treasure weighed just 24 pounds when she died.
"He was extremely emaciated. Just pure bone," Atlanta Police homicide detective Summer Benton said during a January court appearance.
Records show DFCS made multiple attempts to intervene in the months before Treasure’s death, but police responses were often delayed and ineffective. In one incident caught on body cam, an Atlanta officer said, "Even if, say we knock on the door and the kids are in there, there’s nothing at all we can do."
Following public outrage, five Atlanta police officers received minor disciplinary actions, and the department implemented reforms to improve collaboration with DFCS, including faster response protocols.
What's next:
McWeay rejected a plea deal of 75 years in prison and opted to take his case to trial. Proceedings are expected to continue into next week.
SEE ALSO:
- Rodney McWeay murder trial: DFCS testifies about 4-year-old Treasure's living conditions
- Rodney McWeay faces trial: Father accused of kidnapping and starving daughter to death
- Bodycams show Atlanta police doing bare minimum to find 3 kids in peril
- Atlanta police changes procedures following I-Team investigation into girl’s starving death
- Fulton jail records: Father charged with starving daughter stabbed in botched robbery
The Source: FOX 5 pulled details and quotes from court proceedings and used court records for this article. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.