Insets: Michael Horn and Alexiss Eitrem (Cobb County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The 400 block of Ramona Street where Horn’s 5-year-old son was allegedly beaten to death (Google Maps).
Michael Horn, aged 31, faces charges of aggravated assault along with five counts of child cruelty. Meanwhile, his partner, Alexiss Eitrem, also 31, is similarly charged with five counts of child cruelty.
The Marietta Police Department shared in a Facebook update that officers responded to a distress call on Sunday, finding an unresponsive child at a residence on Ramona Street. The boy was immediately transported to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries by Wednesday. Authorities noted the child exhibited clear signs of abuse.
“The injuries on this 5-year-old, who unfortunately has passed away, were visibly concerning,” Marietta Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy stated to Fox affiliate WAGA.
Documents obtained by the television station indicate that Horn allegedly caused severe blunt force trauma, leading to internal injuries, including brain hemorrhaging. Eitrem, according to her warrant, is accused of knowingly permitting the ongoing abuse and torture inflicted by the boy’s biological father over the five-month period.
According to a warrant obtained by the TV station, Horn “inflicted blunt force trauma” on the boy that led to internal bleeding, including on the brain. A warrant for Eitrem reportedly states she “knowingly allowed repeated beatings and torture of the five-year-old victim by his biological father over the course of approximately five months.”
Cops say the abuse occurred in front of the couple’s other four children. The warrant did not contain information about what led up to the alleged abuse.
Horn and Eitrem were arrested on Monday and remain in the Cobb County Jail without bond.
A neighbor told WAGA her daughter is friends with one of the kids that live in the home.
“I got chills all over my body,” Shirley Jones told the outlet. “She said that was her best friend. My heart goes out. I mean, it’s a child. I don’t know what else to say, but God be with him.”
