EAST POINT, Ga. — East Point Police Department said Thursday it may take two weeks to positively identify a child’s body found at a waste collection site. The grim discovery comes one week after two-year-old J’Asiah Mitchell was reported missing.
On Wednesday, police said they believe there’s a “high probability” the body is J’Asiah’s.
J’Asiah’s grandmother told 11Alive over the phone Thursday, the family also believes the body is the missing toddler’s. They have asked for privacy. The family previously pleaded with the community for tips.
A week-long desperate search weighed not only on the community but also on police. Authorities drained a pond at the Elite at Lakeview Apartments in East Point last Friday.
“It’s emotional for the entire department because we were all hoping and praying we would find this child alive,” East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan said.
The hope diminished Wednesday when investigators found a child’s body at the East Point Transfer Station. Buchanan said data from J’Asiah’s father, Artavious North’s cell phone, led them to the body.
“By using technology, we can find out a person’s location, where they have been, and things of that nature,” Buchanan said. “We basically went through the process of going everywhere he’s been and trying to look for what he could have possibly done with the child. That’s how we discovered the child.”
North initially reported his son was kidnapped during an armed robbery last Wednesday at the Aspen Woods Apartments in DeKalb County, but police said cell phone data showed North was never in DeKalb County that night. Police charged North with false statements and false report of a crime.
A massive search for the toddler followed.
“We’re still trying to positively identify the child,” Buchanan said. “That is our number one goal and then to find out the actual cause of death, and that’s what next.”
Detectives who worked this case are getting grief counseling as they wait to learn if the discovered body is J’Asiah.
“Most of us are parents, so to see a child that age has an unfortunate incident like this occur. It’s emotional because it reminds us of our families. A lot of people had difficulties working in this case, but one thing we have to do is bring this person to justice. That’s what kept us focused,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan added he’s meeting with the district attorney Friday to make sure everything is in order for possible charges once the body is identified. Police said J’Asiah’s father is their only person of interest.