J’Asiah Mitchell, 2, is seen in pictures (via DeKalb County (Ga.) Police Dept.). Inset: Artavious Rashod North (via DeKalb County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Offce).
A Georgia father already behind bars for allegedly lying to police about the disappearance of his 2-year-old son is now accused of murder.
Artavious North, 23, has been arrested for the murder of J’Asiah Mitchell, according to police in the Atlanta suburb of East Point. As Law&Crime previously reported, police said that North initially told officials that J’Asiah, his son, had been kidnapped on Aug. 16, but that story soon unraveled: by the next day, North had been arrested and charged with making false statements and false reporting of a crime.
“On September 1, 2023, East Point Detectives obtained warrants for Artavious North,” a press release from the East Point Police Department said. “The warrants are for Murder, Felony Murder, Cruelty to Children in the 1st degree, and Concealing the Death of another.”
J’Asiah’s remains were confirmed to have been found at a trash transfer station in East Point, an Atlanta suburb, on Aug. 23. The murder allegations against North come one day after examiners confirmed that the remains were those of the little boy.
North had initially reported to police that J’Asiah was taken when North was robbed at gunpoint while he was at a stop sign. He allegedly told family members that a car had been trailing him as he left the apartment complex where the boy lived. J’Asiah’s mother, Asia Mitchell, reportedly got a phone call from North about the alleged kidnapping.
The search for J’Asiah went on for about a week before his body was found. Police initially believed North’s claims and posted multiple messages online indicating that J’Asiah had been kidnapped and asked for the public’s help in finding him.
More from Law&Crime: New documents reveal how father allegedly carried out senseless murders of his 3 sons
This story has been updated to note that North was arrested on a warrant for murder but has not been formally charged.
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