A Bibb County man, Willie George Northern Jr., has been charged with murder following the death of his girlfriend’s six-month-old baby. The infant, who was in Northern’s care, was found unresponsive at a Macon residence earlier this month. Deputies responded to the emergency call around 8:26 p.m. on Sunday, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Paramedics transported the baby to Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Hospital, where critical injuries were identified, and the child was later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Atlanta for further treatment. The infant died from his injuries on Tuesday. Northern, 24, of Kathleen, told deputies that he had been feeding and swaddling the baby before placing him down to rest, according to WGXA.
Northern was initially charged with first-degree cruelty to children and tampering with evidence after his arrest before 2 a.m. on Monday. Following the infant’s death, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office upgraded the charges to include murder. He remains in custody at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center. An autopsy is scheduled for the following Friday morning in DeKalb County.
