Macon — A Macon woman who was previously facing charges of child cruelty is now facing charges of murder instead.
Carla Pounds was charged with murder in the first degree in the death of her one-year-old son, De'Yuntis. Incident reports said that Pounds was actually the one to call 911 when she discovered her child unresponsive on Wednesday morning. She tried to give him CPR, but was unsuccessful and she said that his nose began bleeding while she was trying to save his life.
After police and emergency services arrived, De'Yuntis was pronounced dead on the scene. Bibb County investigators and the coroner's office both describe the child's body as being cold to the touch. Bibb County coroner Leon Jones said that the child was likely dead for several hours before he was found. Jones also indicated that he did not believe foul play was involved at first review of the body.
Pounds told investigators that her child was not eating or holding down any food the night before, but that she "didn't think much of it." She said he fell asleep around 8:30 p.m. and that she didn't check on him until 10:00 the next morning.
Investigators initially asked Pounds for permission to search her apartment and she refused. They later obtained warrants to take photos and search the home. After the child was found dead, Pounds was taken to The Medical Center, Navicent Health for mental evaluation because she said she no longer wanted to live.
She was later arrested and charged with cruelty to children. That charge was dropped and replaced with murder.