A 22-year-old Canton man is facing malice murder and first-degree cruelty charges after his live-in girlfriend’s 2-year-old son was found unresponsive at a home Monday and later died at a hospital. The arrest came as investigators began piecing together what happened inside the home, with an autopsy still pending.
According to CBS News Atlanta, officers were called to a home in the 300 block of Cartersville Street around 11:30 a.m. after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. Officers found the toddler, provided aid and remained at the scene as medics transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives interviewed Celso Edison Vicente Y Vicente, who police identified as the boy’s mother’s live-in boyfriend, and obtained search warrants for the home and a vehicle, the report said. Vicente Y Vicente was arrested Monday night and remains at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center; Canton Police Chief Marty Ferrell called the child’s death “heartbreaking” and said investigators were working to conduct a thorough investigation, according to CBS News Atlanta.
Autopsy Expected To Clarify Cause Of Death
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner is expected to perform an autopsy to determine how the child died. Cherokee County says autopsies are required in unexpected or unexplained deaths involving children younger than 7, while the criminal charges remain allegations that have not been tested in court.
The case comes months after a separate Canton toddler death case ended with a guilty plea and a 37-year prison sentence for Phillissa Diallo, who was convicted in the 2022 death of 2-year-old Alyssa Rose Davis, according to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office. The cases are unrelated, and investigators have not released a possible motive or additional details in the new case.
