OAKWOOD, GA — A welfare check turned into a grim discovery, leading to the arrest of a North Georgia woman after a 4-year-old child was found dead in the trunk of her car.
The incident began just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, when officers from the Oakwood Police Department were dispatched to the parking lot of the Tractor Supply on Mundy Mill Road.
According to the incident report obtained by Now Habersham, “The information being received was that a mother had contacted family members about some type of injury involving her child.”
Initially, officers searched the Tractor Supply parking lot and the immediate vicinity for the vehicle described by the 911 caller. Despite continuous updates, their initial search was unsuccessful.
Vehicle located in adjacent lot
Police expanded their search to the surrounding area and quickly located the vehicle, a red 2016 Nissan Sentra, in the parking lot of the adjacent Sam’s Club. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the disturbing discovery of the child’s body in the trunk.
The woman, 36-year-old Jessica M. Motes, was immediately taken into custody.
An eyewitness posted video of the scene outside Sam’s in Oakwood on the day of Motes’ arrest.
Charged with concealment of the child’s death
According to the GBI, Motes has been charged with one count concealing the death of 4-year-old Autumn Fox. According to the incident report, Fox and Motes lived in the same residence in Cleveland, GA. She was booked into the Hall County Jail and is currently being held without bond.
Information gathered from Motes’ social media accounts indicates she reportedly studied at the North Georgia Nursing Academy and is a graduate of White County High School.
The investigation by the GBI is ongoing, and authorities have not yet released details regarding the nature of the child’s injuries or the circumstances leading up to the death.
An earlier version of this article identified Motes as the child’s mother. While the two did live together, it remains unclear their exact relationship.
