Four-year-old Cobee Cooks was found dead in an Atlanta home on Oct. 26. Two women have been arrested in connection with his death. (Foto: Instagram)
Cobee Cooks, 4, was found dead beneath a pile of clothes in a closet at a home in Atlanta, Georgia. Police discovered him on Oct. 26 while conducting a welfare check. Two women have been arrested in connection with his death.
Police found more than 20 injuries on the boy, including cuts, burns and possible fractures, according to accounts published by the New York Post and Fox 5 Atlanta. Officers found Cobee upstairs in the home. An initial assessment indicated he had been dead for 12 to 24 hours.
The investigation began after the father of Jasmaine Smoak, 32, called 911 on Oct. 26. He told emergency dispatchers that his daughter had reported a child was unconscious after taking medication.
An arrest warrant says Cobee died after suffering multiple blows and injuries to his liver and spleen. It also describes wounds at different stages of healing. Investigators said that could indicate repeated episodes of abuse; the injuries and circumstances remain under investigation.
Smoak, a friend of Cobee’s mother, was reportedly responsible for caring for him and other children under her supervision. She was arrested three days after the boy’s body was found, near Augusta. Authorities said she had left Atlanta in a white Mercedes-Benz with Cobee’s brother and two other children. Media reports said Cobee’s mother is being held in Clarke County, Georgia.
Smoak is charged with murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children. Jasmine Jenkins, 30, who was also at the residence, was arrested and charged with murder and cruelty to children. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances of Cobee’s death and each woman’s alleged role.
