The mother of a 4-year-old Tennessee girl who was reported missing told authorities after a daylong search that the girl had been dead for several weeks, according to a police affidavit.
Remains believed to be those of Sequoia Samuels were found late Thursday near the apartment where she lived, Memphis police said in a statement. Her mother had reported her missing that morning, saying she had woken to find her front door open and the child gone.
A police affidavit filed Friday said Brittany Jackson lied when she made the initial call about her daughter, news outlets reported. Jackson later told investigators that her boyfriend, Jaylon Hobson, had physically attacked the girl until she became unresponsive and couldn’t be revived, the affidavit said. The girl’s body was then placed in several trash bags and stored inside the residence until it was moved to a trash can the morning police were called, according to the affidavit.
Jackson, 24, is charged with aggravated child neglect, abuse of a corpse and filing a false offense report, Memphis police said. Hobson, 21, has been charged with filing a false offense report, police said.
Hobson “denied involvement” in Samuels’ death when he talked with police.
“Hobson stated that he last saw Samuels last Sunday, June 11, 2023, which is impossible due to the advance state of decomposition of the human remains believed to be Samuels,” the affidavit said.
Police said they were continuing to investigate and asked that anyone with information come forward.