A mother and her boyfriend have been indicted on serious charges related to the death of a four-year-old child in Reynoldsburg. Kailee Smith-Parks, 19, and Linwood Allison Jr., 20, face accusations of aggravated murder and endangering children after the "suspicious" death of Smith-Parks' son, Ja'Kai Smith, according to NBC4i.
A Franklin County grand jury delivered the indictments, which for Allison Jr. include 22 counts of child endangerment, and for Smith-Parks, 20 counts. The couple also jointly faces one count each of aggravated murder and murder, reports 10TV. Following a police investigation that culminated in the ruling of the child's death as a homicide, the two surrendered to Franklin County jail last week.
The alleged abuse of Ja'Kai reportedly occurred from March 21 to April 10, and surveillance footage appears to show the couple harming the child, according to Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor. The child was taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital by Smith-Parks on April 10 and was subsequently transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to 10TV.
In response to the unfolding tragedy, Scott Varner, Franklin County Children Services Director of Communications, confirmed that the agency had an active case with the family at the time of Ja'Kai's death. "Franklin County Children Services had its first encounter with the family in December 2023 on child endangerment concerns, but the case was later closed," Varner disclosed to 10TV. Meanwhile, the mother and her boyfriend are set to be arraigned on April 30, as reported by MyFox28Columbus.
