“Malnourished” 9-Year-Old Boy Found by Colbert County Sheriff’s Office Investigators Leads to Arrest of Mother and Step-Father

On June 17, investigators responded to a possible case of child abuse at North Alabama Medical Center and found a severely malnourished 9-year-old boy weighing only 37 pounds. The child had bruises on his body, blood coming from his ear, and maggots protruding from different areas of his body. The mother, Deja-Ariaha Geraldine Bankhead, and stepfather, Demariez Lavonski Mitchell, were present at the hospital with two younger children. Colbert County DHR was notified and took custody of the children. Due to the severity of the boy’s condition, he was transported to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for further treatment and evaluation. Bankhead and Mitchell were arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse and are being held in the Colbert County Jail on $50,000 bond.