A Georgia father and his girlfriend are facing serious criminal charges after authorities say a 5-year-old boy died following months of abuse inside a Marietta home.
Michael Horn, 31, has been charged with aggravated assault and five counts of child cruelty in connection with the death of his son. His girlfriend, Alexiss Eitrem, also 31, is charged with five counts of child cruelty, according to law enforcement.
The Marietta Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call Sunday at a residence in the 400 block of Ramona Street, where they found a child unresponsive. The boy was transported to a hospital, where he died Wednesday. Police said the child had visible injuries that raised immediate concerns of abuse.
“This 5-year-old who is now deceased had visible injuries that didn’t seem right,” Marietta Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy told WAGA.
According to arrest warrants obtained by the station, investigators allege Horn “inflicted blunt force trauma” on the child, resulting in internal bleeding, including injuries to the brain. A separate warrant alleges that Eitrem “knowingly allowed repeated beatings and torture of the five-year-old victim by his biological father over the course of approximately five months.”
Police said the alleged abuse occurred in the presence of the couple’s four other children. Investigators have not disclosed what may have prompted the alleged conduct or how the case first came to the attention of authorities.
Both Horn and Eitrem were arrested Monday and are being held at the Cobb County Jail without bond as the investigation continues.
The case has shaken the surrounding neighborhood. A nearby resident told WAGA that her daughter knew one of the children living in the home.
“I got chills all over my body,” Shirley Jones said. “She said that was her best friend. My heart goes out. I mean, it’s a child. I don’t know what else to say, but God be with him.”
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