Crime
Mother Jasmine Smoak charge with murder after 4-year-old Colby Walker found dead in Atlanta home
ATLANTA, Ga. — A 32-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation after a 4-year-old boy was found dead inside a southwest Atlanta home Monday evening.
The child was identified as Colby Walker, who was born in August 2022. Authorities have not publicly disclosed how the boy died or how long he had been deceased before his body was discovered.
According to information obtained from a source familiar with the investigation, police identified Jasmine Smoak, 32, as a suspect in the case. She was arrested in Washington, Georgia, approximately 100 miles east of Atlanta.
Investigators reportedly obtained warrants charging Smoak with second-degree cruelty to children and concealing the death of another person. She was taken to the Wilkes County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not publicly confirmed the nature of Smoak’s relationship to the child.
The investigation began at approximately 7:20 p.m. Monday, when Atlanta police officers responded to a welfare check at a residence on Cardinal Drive SW.
Officers were unable to make contact with anyone inside the home. Atlanta Fire Rescue crews were subsequently called to assist and forced entry into the residence.
During a search of the home, first responders discovered Colby’s body.
Atlanta Police Department homicide detectives took over the investigation and secured a search warrant to collect evidence from inside the residence. Investigators then began working to determine the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
Authorities have not released information about the cause of death or provided a timeline indicating when the child may have died.
As detectives continued investigating, they identified a person of interest and began tracking that individual toward Wilkes County, according to the information provided by a source familiar with the case.
Investigators contacted the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office for assistance. Deputies subsequently located a vehicle in the Washington, Georgia, area and took Smoak into custody.
According to the source, investigators obtained arrest warrants charging Smoak with second-degree cruelty to children and concealing the death of another person.
Smoak was transported to the Wilkes County Jail. Additional information about her first court appearance, bond status, or any further charges was not included in the available account.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and Smoak is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Authorities also confirmed that other children had been accounted for and that family members had been contacted during the investigation.
The Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office notified the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office also responded to the Atlanta residence while investigators were working at the scene.
The involvement of these agencies reflects the broader investigative and child-welfare response following the discovery.
Officials have not released additional details about the other children or their relationship to Colby.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office is handling the death investigation.
At this stage, authorities have not publicly disclosed how Colby died, how long he had been deceased, or what relationship Smoak had to the child. Those details remain important unanswered questions as investigators continue gathering evidence.
Police have not released further information about a possible motive or the circumstances preceding the discovery.
The investigation remains active, and additional details may be released as authorities establish the facts of the case.
VALLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Logan Rickert, 29, of the Lock Haven area, died early Monday after a tractor-trailer hit him on Interstate 80 in Montour County. He had stopped to help another driver after an earlier crash, authorities said.
The crash happened around 5:54 a.m. on October 26, 2026. It occurred on eastbound I-80 between mile markers 224 and 225 in Valley Township.
According to the Montour County Coroner’s Office, Rickert stopped to help a pickup truck driver after a collision with a tractor-trailer. The pickup truck had partly left the road. The tractor-trailer involved in that crash did not stop.
Rickert got out of his own pickup truck to help the driver. While he stood outside, another tractor-trailer left the road and struck him. Investigators have not yet determined why the second truck left the roadway.
Rickert died at the scene, the coroner’s office said.
Authorities said Rickert stopped on I-80 to help a motorist involved in the first crash. The pickup truck had partly left the road after colliding with a tractor-trailer.
The first tractor-trailer did not stop, according to the coroner’s office. Rickert then left his vehicle to assist the pickup truck driver.
A second tractor-trailer later left the roadway and hit Rickert. Officials have not explained what caused the truck to leave the road. Investigators are working to establish how the crash happened.
Rickert, 29, died at the scene, according to the Montour County Coroner’s Office.
Emergency responders went to the crash site on eastbound I-80 in Valley Township. The incident took place between mile markers 224 and 225.
Authorities have not released further details about the drivers involved. They also have not confirmed whether anyone else suffered injuries.
The Montour County Coroner’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police in Milton are investigating the crash.
Officials have scheduled an autopsy as part of the investigation. They have not released further findings or announced whether anyone will face charges.
Authorities plan to share more information as it becomes available. The investigation remains ongoing.