A grueling search Tennessee and federal agencies came to a tragic end Thursday after the body of four-year-old Sequoia Samuels was found near the apartment where she lived.
Her mother, Brittney Jackson, and her mother’s boyfriend, Jaylon Hobson, have both been charged.
Jackson’s arrest affidavit offers an insight into the four-year-old’s death.
According to the affidavit, Jackson told police her boyfriend physically attacked Samuels multiple times several weeks ago.
After the last attack, Samuels became unresponsive. Jackson told police that Hobson tried to revive Samuels, but she never regained consciousness.
Jackson said she never attempted to render aid to her daughter.
The affidavit states Hobson placed the child’s body in several garbage bags and stored the body in the house until June 15.
He allegedly “maintained the corpse” for several weeks before the four-year-old was dumped in the garbage container outside of the apartment on Thursday.
The mother identified the garbage containers when police showed her pictures.
According to police, Hobson said he last saw Samuels on June 11, but police say that is “impossible” due to the advanced state of the body’s decomposition.
After police searched the home on Caldwell Avenue, they found the child’s remains in the bin.
On June 15, Jackson made a false report of the disappearance of her child. She initially said she put Samuels to bed and fell asleep on the couch at 11:45 p.m. Jackson said she woke up to charge her phone and received a text from a family member saying that her front door was open. She says she checked the room where the children were sleeping and found the four-year-old missing.
This is when Memphis Police Department made the scene and issued a City Watch which led to a state and federal investigation.
Jackson is charged with aggravated child neglect, abuse of a corpse, and giving a false offense report.
Hobson is charged with giving a false offense report.
The remains found in North Memphis have not officially been identified. However, Memphis Police cancelled a City Watch for Sequoia Samuels on Friday morning and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a statement saying they believe the child is dead.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the search for four-year-old Sequoia Samuels has ended as investigators believe she is deceased. We wish comfort for all of those who knew and loved her,” the TBI statement said.
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