Atlanta, Georgia: Two Women Face Murder Charges in Death of Colby Cooks, 4, as Prior Warnings Surface

Two women are being held without bond in the Fulton County Jail on murder charges in the death of 4-year-old Colby Cooks, found dead inside a southwest Atlanta townhome on Monday evening. His brother Kayden, 5, remains in an Augusta hospital with severe injuries, according to police and court records. Both women waived their initial court appearances on Friday.

A welfare check on Cardinal Drive

Atlanta police and firefighters forced their way into a townhome at the Aviary Park community in the 3500 block of Cardinal Drive SW at about 7:20 p.m. Monday, October 26. The father of Jasmaine Smoak, who had been caring for the boys, had called 911 for a welfare check. Court documents say he told dispatchers his daughter claimed a child was unresponsive after ingesting medication.

Inside, crews found Colby dead, hidden beneath clothing in an upstairs closet. Investigators estimated he had been dead for 12 to 24 hours. The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by extensive blunt force trauma, with broken bones, a burn and lacerations to his liver and spleen.

A drive to Wilkes County

Police say Smoak, 32, drove away before officers arrived, taking four other children in a white Mercedes-Benz to the Washington, Georgia, home of a relative of Jasmine Jenkins. Deputies detained Smoak there on Tuesday after investigators tracked her vehicle with license plate readers. Deputies rushed Kayden to a hospital in Augusta. Arrest warrants describe severe facial injuries, prolonged abuse and acute starvation, and say the 5-year-old was severely malnourished.

Arrest warrants say the two women left four children unattended in the townhome on Sunday evening to go out while Colby suffered catastrophic injuries. Investigators later found a DoorDash delivery bag Jenkins had ordered to the home.

The charges

Smoak is a friend of the boys' mother, Amanda Malone Walker, and is not related to the children, police said. Family friends and court records say the boys were staying with Smoak while their mother was in custody on shoplifting charges. Atlanta police arrested Jenkins, 30, on Thursday with help from the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.

Both women face charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and first-degree cruelty to children. Smoak faces an additional charge of concealing the death of another, and Jenkins faces party to a crime charges. No preliminary hearing date has been announced.

Warnings months earlier

Family friend Destyne Akoon told FOX 5 that the boys' father and family acquaintances contacted the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services repeatedly in late 2025, with complaints logged in September, October, November and December. The father filed an emergency referral days before Colby died after seeing Kayden's physical condition worsen.

"It came from a friend of mine who reported to DFCS last year that the kids were being abused when we discovered the abuse," Akoon told FOX 5.

The Georgia Department of Human Services said in a statement: "We are devastated to hear of the loss of this little boy and extend our deepest condolences to those who loved him. We will fully cooperate and partner with law enforcement as they investigate this tragedy." State officials have not released records of what caseworkers did after those reports, and the total number of referrals has not been confirmed.