Colquitt Parents Jailed After Infant Found With Shocking Injuries

A Colquitt couple is behind bars after their infant daughter was rushed to a hospital unresponsive and later found to have severe head trauma and multiple broken bones. Investigators say both parents now face felony child cruelty and aggravated battery charges.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Fabrice Dunwood, 35, and Israel Dunwood, 29, were arrested on June 2 and booked into the Miller County Jail after the City of Colquitt Police Department requested GBI assistance on May 11, according to the GBI. The arrests and charges were announced in a GBI press release on Tuesday.

Emergency room staff were able to resuscitate the baby at a local hospital before she was transferred to a Jacksonville hospital, where tests revealed severe brain injuries, internal bleeding and numerous broken bones, as reported by WTXL. Officials have not publicly identified the hospital, and the child’s current condition has not been released.

Investigation details

The Colquitt Police Department, the Miller County Sheriff's Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office are all assisting with the case, which authorities describe as active and ongoing, according to WALB. Once investigators finish their review, they say the case file will be turned over to the Pataula Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

Legal details

Both parents are charged with two counts of first degree cruelty to children and one count of aggravated battery. Under Georgia law, first degree cruelty to children is defined in O.C.G.A. § 16-5-70 and carries a potential prison sentence of five to 20 years, according to Justia. Aggravated battery is defined in O.C.G.A. § 16-5-24 and generally carries a penalty of one to 20 years in prison, per Justia.

How to help

Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Thomasville at (229) 225-4090 or submit anonymous tips to 1-800-597-TIPS or online via the GBI tip form, according to the GBI. The bureau says the investigation remains ongoing.

This report was compiled from the GBI release and local coverage by WTXL and WALB; AllOnGeorgia published an earlier version of the story.