A Georgia woman has been sentenced to decades behind bars for the death of her young son — with the punishment handed down on what would have been the child’s ninth birthday.
Keara Sade Cotton, 31, was sentenced Wednesday, February 4, to 25 years in prison for the 2021 killing of her 3-year-old son, Jayceion Mathis. Cotton pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and concealing her child’s death, according to a statement from Cordele District Attorney Brad Rigby.
“February 4th should have been filled with birthday candles for Jayceion,” Rigby wrote. “Instead, it became the day justice answered for his life. Only 3 years old. No voice. No way to protect himself. That responsibility fell to the justice system — and it did not look away.”
Jayceion died while in Cotton’s care in November 2021, according to local reports. Prosecutors said that instead of calling for help, Cotton wrapped the child’s body in a shopping bag and a shower curtain and dumped him behind a shopping center, where his remains were discovered months later, in early 2022.
Before the grim discovery, the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services had attempted multiple welfare checks. Investigators said Cotton could not be located and had fled the area. Family members also reported Jayceion missing after not seeing him for several months.
Cotton was eventually tracked down and arrested in January 2022.
According to police, Cotton initially told investigators she woke up one morning in November 2021 and found Jayceion not breathing. Rather than calling 911, she allegedly kept the child’s body inside her home before later disposing of it.
Due to the condition of Jayceion’s remains, the medical examiner was unable to determine an exact cause of death, prosecutors said.
Court records and agency reports also revealed Cotton had a documented history of child neglect and abuse prior to Jayceion’s death.
The investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from local authorities. The case has drawn renewed attention to failures in child welfare oversight and the devastating consequences when warning signs go unanswered.
Cotton will serve her sentence in a Georgia state prison, closing a case that prosecutors described as one of the most heartbreaking they have handled — marked by a child lost and justice arriving on a day meant for celebration.
A life for a life is more fitting!