HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A 6-year-old boy died at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend, according to Henry County Police.
Jacob Andrews Williams was taken off life support Wednesday night, three days after he was taken to the hospital with bruises and a broken arm. A neighbor, who does not want to be identified, placed a makeshift memorial outside of his home on Belmont Farms Drive in the Ellenwood neighborhood.
"He came in the house and told his mother that he wasn’t feeling too well and she told him to take a shower and when he went to take a shower they heard a loud bang and that was him falling and collapsing," the neighbor said.
On June 13, police said they found the boy unresponsive. He had shallow breathing, blood coming from his mouth, and bruises.
Warrants claimed Williams' bruises were on 80 percent of his body. The documents also said the child had a broken arm, and severe head trauma when he was taken to the hospital. The warrants allege that Williams was struck repeatedly by his mother, DeShante Beard, and her boyfriend, Less Thompson.
The neighbor said the day Williams was rushed to the hospital, Thompson was running in the front yard, holding the boy in his arms.
“Up and down the grass on the yard, holding the baby, screaming. The baby was lifeless then and had blood coming out of his mouth," she said.
The neighbor didn't want to be identified because she was previously a victim of domestic abuse. But, as a victim of prior abuse, she wondered if Williams' and his mother suffered a similar fate, and for how long.
11Alive contacted Henry County Schools about the child's death. A spokesperson issued condolences and said the 6-year-old was a former student. He was enrolled in the district from August to October of the 2020-2021 school year.
The neighbor said she only saw the child outside twice, during the summer, wearing long sleeves and long pants.
Now, a teddy bear and candles sit on the steps outside of Williams' home.
Both the mother and boyfriend were charged with two counts of murder after the child died. The investigation is ongoing.
