Warrants detail multiple child-cruelty counts; four siblings placed in state custody.
MARIETTA, Ga. — A Marietta mother and father remained jailed Thursday after their 5-year-old son died late Wednesday morning, days after first responders found him unresponsive in the family’s Ramona Street home, according to police and court records.
The parents, identified as Michael Horn and Alexiss Eitrem, both 31, were denied bond after arrest warrants filed Monday accused them of repeated abuse. Police said the child was taken from the home Sunday evening, stabilized at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and flown to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The Division of Family and Children Services has custody of the couple’s four other children as detectives continue interviews and review medical findings to determine whether the existing charges should be modified.
Officers and firefighters reached the house just after 6 p.m. Sunday in response to a 911 call from both parents reporting the child was not breathing and that CPR was underway. Fire crews took over resuscitation and medics transported the boy while detectives secured the scene. In a briefing, Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy said first responders observed “visible injuries that didn’t seem right” as they worked to revive the child. The residence was taped off into the night while investigators photographed rooms, collected clothing and bedding, and canvassed the block for witnesses.
Warrants outline the charges: Eitrem faces five counts of cruelty to children in the second degree. Horn is charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, first-degree cruelty to children and four counts of second-degree cruelty to children. Investigators said an “abundance of evidence,” along with initial interviews, supported the filings. One sworn statement alleges the child suffered blunt-force trauma that led to internal bleeding, including in the brain. Police have not released the boy’s name and did not say whether the siblings showed signs of injury. The medical examiner will issue the official cause and manner of death.
Neighbors described a swift response Sunday, with multiple fire engines and patrol cars lining the 400 block of Ramona Street. One neighbor, who identified herself as Shirley, said her daughter knew a child living in the home and called the news “devastating.” Police did not confirm any prior calls for service to the address. Detectives said they are gathering statements from relatives, teachers and medical providers to build a wider timeline that could include events before Sunday’s emergency call.
Both suspects were booked into the Cobb County Jail on Monday after warrants were signed and served. Authorities said prosecutors will confer with detectives after the medical examiner’s findings to decide whether charges should be upgraded in light of the death. A follow-up appearance in Cobb County court is expected next week. Investigators also plan to review electronic devices and seek additional records to corroborate statements gathered so far.
Police said the investigation remains active. The next updates are expected after the medical examiner’s report and a scheduled charging review with prosecutors early next week.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.