An 18-year-old pageant queen has been arrested and charged with the murder of a toddler.
The arrest and charges stem from an investigation that began on January 14, 2024, after the toddler was pronounced dead, WDHN reports. According to reports, the Georgia Southwestern State University Police Department requested that authorities look into 18-year-old Trinity Poague.
Poague is a known face in the pageant circuit, being crowned as Miss Donalsonville last year, and even competing in a pageant as recent as October 2023. However, now she is in jail and being held without bond.
Poague has been accused of killing her alleged boyfriend’s 18-month-old son and is currently being held on charges of Felony Murder, Aggravated Battery, and Cruelty to Children charges, according to Fox News.
As WTVY reports, in a statement issued by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, “The investigation indicates an unresponsive 18-month-old boy was admitted to the emergency room at Phoebe Sumter Hospital in Americus, Georgia. Hospital personnel performed life saving measures on the child; however, he later died. After multiple interviews & an examination of the evidence, GBI agents arrested Poague.”
The specifics of the investigation have not yet been made public. This is a developing report.
A coroner has reported that his initial findings revealed that the child reportedly died of “blunt force trauma.” However, the results of the autopsy are still pending.
The investigation also unveiled a strange discrepancy. According to reports, a Sumter County Coroner revealed the toddler’s name as Romeo Angles, which is what was written on the child’s birth certificate. However, the child’s father told hospital staff that his son’s name was Jaxton Drew.
The boy’s father, identified as Javante Smith, has since set up a GoFundMe account to help offset recent costs. Attached to the GoFundMe was a statement:
“How my heart breaks just having to write this message. The unfathomable thought, of having to bury a child. There are no words that can bring peace. No words that can bring comfort. An innocent life, that was taken from this world way too soon.
A laugh that will no longer fill the room. A smile that will no longer light the darkness. Ja has been in our life for a long time. It was amazing watching him grow into one of the best fathers around. A man, that took on the role that even most women struggle with daily.
A man, that was the sole care taker of his only child, now has the tragedy of having to lay him to rest. I come to you all to ask for your help and support for this grieving father in this horrific time of need.”
It’s unclear where the father was at the time his son suffered his fatal injuries.
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