Vienna mother charged with murder, cruelty in death of 4-year-old

VIENNA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested and charged Keara Cotton with murder, concealing the death of another, and cruelty to children in the second degree after finding the remains of Cotton’s 4-year-old son.

The GBI reported the murder charge Tuesday in a news release the day after it released notice of a missing child investigation.

Investigators obtained information that led to the discovery of human remains in Cordele near E. Sixteenth Avenue. Agents will send the remains to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for identification.

The GBI announced in an earlier news release that, on Saturday at about 12:30 p.m., the Vienna Police Department had asked for investigative assistance in order to locate 4-year-old Jayceon Mathis. Jayceon was reported missing by family members who said that they had not seen him in several months. Jayceon lived with his mother, Keara Cotton, 27, in Vienna. 

Even with the arrest, the investigation into the incident is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.