JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) — In a tragic turn of events, a man from suburban Atlanta is now facing murder charges following the death of his six-month-old son. Initially, he had claimed to police that his child was abducted during a violent robbery.
Antonio Pearce reported on Sunday that his son, Nnakai Pratt, had been taken by assailants. According to Clayton County Police, Pearce alleged that two armed men, clad in black, robbed him of $6,500 in cash and three pounds of marijuana from an apartment he used as a stash house in Riverdale, approximately 11 miles south of Atlanta. He further claimed that the intruders made off with his son, who was secured in a car seat.
After an intensive two-day search, Nnakai’s body was discovered in a nearby wooded area on Tuesday evening. Pearce had already been taken into custody on Sunday, initially charged with marijuana possession and traffic violations. As his story evolved, police added a charge of making a false statement.
On Wednesday, Pearce was officially charged with the murder of Nnakai, according to court records. Additional charges include concealing a death, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, cruelty to a child, and falsely reporting a crime.
Court documents do not list an attorney representing Pearce at this time.
During a bond hearing on Wednesday related to the false statements charge, the judge denied Pearce bail.
“You did provide contradictory statements in an investigation of a missing child, and when witness accounts verified your contradictory statements, you admitted to concealing and falsifying material facts,” Clayton County Magistrate Judge Keisha Hill Wright told Pearce on Wednesday.
The infant was a twin and his surviving sister has been placed in the custody of child welfare authorities, with police saying they were investigating if the mother had any role in the boy’s death.
