Body found in trash bags near home believed to be missing Memphis 4-year-old
06/16/2023 1:41 pm PDT
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TCD) -- Law enforcement officials believe they located the remains of a 4-year-old girl who was reported missing this week even though she had most likely been dead for "several weeks."
Sequoia Samuels, whose name has also been spelled Saquoia, was reported missing to the Memphis Police Department Thursday, June 15. The 4-year-old girl had a "known medical condition," and Memphis Police said she was last seen in the city’s Uptown neighborhood.
Several law enforcement agencies assisted in the "relentless" search for Sequoia. According to the Memphis Police Department, on Thursday night, police found a body "in close proximity to the apartment where Sequoia lived with her family." The body, however, had not been positively identified yet. On Friday, June 16, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced they ended the search for Sequoia "as investigators believe she is deceased."
Memphis Police arrested Sequoia’s mother, Brittney Jackson, on charges of aggravated child neglect, abuse of a corpse, and false offense report. Jackson’s boyfriend, Jaylon Hobson, was arrested for false offense report.
According to court documents cited by Memphis Commercial Appeal, Jackson allegedly told police she last saw Sequoia on Wednesday evening when she put her to bed. Jackson reportedly said she fell asleep on the couch, then woke up to messages from family members saying her front door was open. When she checked on Sequoia, the girl was gone.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports Jackson later changed her story and said her boyfriend Hobson "physically attacked" Sequoia several times a few weeks prior.
The affidavit alleges Sequoia became unresponsive following the attack, and she later died.
Jackson reportedly "maintained the corpse for several weeks," then dumped her body in a garbage container.
According to the affidavit, Hobson "denied involvement" in the girl’s death and allegedly claimed he last saw her June 11. Detectives, however, said that was "impossible due to the advanced state of decomposition of the human remains believed to be Samuels."
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