Woman charged with murder in connection with 4-year-old found dead during welfare check

A 4-year-old boy died from blunt force injuries before being found in a southwest Atlanta home earlier this week, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. Now a woman has been charged with murder in connection to the death.

Colby Cooks was found dead inside a home on Cardinal Drive on Monday night when police responded for a welfare check.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled his death a homicide.

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Police say his mother’s friend, 32-year-old Jasmaine Smoak, ran off with three other children, one of whom was injured, before they arrived.

Smoak is charged with murder, aggravated assault and first-degree cruelty to children.

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She also faces additional offenses, including cruelty to children in the second degree and concealing the death of another.

Smoak was later found and arrested in Wilkes County, which is more than 100 miles east of Atlanta. The injured child was taken to the hospital, but there is no word on his or her condition.

Channel 2’s Tom Jones was in the neighborhood on Tuesday as people in the gated community stopped by the home to place balloons and flowers.

“For this to have happened, like it’s unthinkable, regardless of the outcome of the details,” neighbor Amber Burks said.

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