DFCS warned for months about abuse before 4-year-old's death, friend says – FOX 5 Atlanta

DFCS warned for months about abuse before 4-year-old’s death, friend says  FOX 5 Atlanta

State child welfare officials received multiple warnings about severe abuse months before 4-year-old Colby Cooks was found beaten to death inside a southwest Atlanta townhome, according to family friends. Atlanta police booked two women into the Fulton County Jail on murder and child cruelty charges after an arrest warrant revealed a 4-year-old died from extensive blunt force injuries and was left unattended alongside four children at a Cardinal Drive townhome. ATLANTA – State child welfare officials received multiple warnings about severe abuse months before 4-year-old Colby Cooks was found beaten to death inside a southwest Atlanta townhome, according to family friends. Family friend Destyne Akoon said the children's father and mutual acquaintances contacted the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) repeatedly throughout late 2025.

"It came from a friend of mine who reported to DFCS last year that the kids were being abused when we discovered the abuse," Akoon told FOX 5. Akoon said multiple complaints were logged with the agency across September, October, November and December 2025. The boys' father submitted an emergency referral after seeing 5-year-old Kayden's deteriorating physical condition just days prior. Colby Cooks and Kayden were staying with Jasmaine Smoak while their mother, Amanda Malone Walker, was incarcerated on shoplifting charges, according to family friends and court records. Akoon said