Atlanta police charge two women in death of 4-year-old Colby Cooks

Colby Cooks, a 4-year-old boy from Atlanta, was found dead Monday evening with injuries consistent with a beating. Police located his body around 7:20 p.m. during a welfare check at a local home. The child was hidden beneath a pile of clothes in a master bedroom closet.

Officials ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma. The autopsy revealed severe internal damage, including a lacerated liver and spleen. Investigators also noted burns, bruises, possible broken limbs, and older healed scars on the boy's body. Authorities estimate Cooks died between 12 and 24 hours before his discovery.

Jasmaine Smoak, 32, and Jasmine Tyree Jenkins, 30, face murder and first-degree cruelty to children charges. Smoak was the primary caretaker for Cooks and four other children in the townhome. Jenkins, a friend of Smoak, also lived in the residence. Arrest warrants state the women left the children unattended on Sunday evening to go out.

Smoak called her father the next day, claiming an unresponsive child in the home had taken medication. Her father called 911 and reported that Smoak had already left. Police tracked Smoak in a Mercedes-Benz, where she was driving the four surviving children. One of those children, a 5-year-old, was hospitalized in Augusta for malnourishment and facial injuries linked to abuse.

Smoak was arrested in Wilkes County, where Jenkins was also taken into custody. Smoak is currently held at the Fulton County Jail. Jenkins remains in Wilkes County and is awaiting extradition to face charges in Fulton County.