Inset: Jessica M. Motes (Hall County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Police responding to reports of a child’s body being found in Motes’ trunk (WXIA).
In a troubling case out of Georgia, a 36-year-old woman has been hit with several serious charges following the grim discovery of a young child’s remains in her vehicle. Authorities say Jessica Maria Motes is now facing allegations of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, and first-degree cruelty to children. This comes after she reportedly confided in her father about having “hurt” the child and believing the child was dead.
Initially, Motes was taken into custody late last month on a single charge of concealing the death of a child. However, as the investigation progressed, led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in collaboration with the Oakwood Police Department and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, more charges were brought against her, according to a GBI press release issued on Wednesday.
Details of the case came to light when Motes’ father contacted the police. He had seen his daughter driving a Nissan sedan into a shopping center parking lot on Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood around 5 p.m. on October 26. This location, which includes a Sam’s Club, is situated approximately 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.
The case has understandably drawn significant attention, as law enforcement continues to piece together the tragic events leading to these charges. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities working to uncover all the facts surrounding this heart-wrenching situation.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Motes’ father told police that he spotted his daughter driving her Nissan sedan into the parking lot of a shopping center in the 3000 block of Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood at about 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.
The address belongs to a Sam’s Club that is about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Motes’ father told police that when he spoke to his daughter, she made several incriminating statements, according to a probable cause affidavit. Such statements allegedly included Motes saying that she “hurt” the victim and then telling her father, “I think she is dead.”
The warrant states that Motes’ father then drove her away from the parking lot and that they “later encountered law enforcement.”
After Motes’ father spoke with authorities, police responded to the parking lot. There, officers said they found “the remains” of the 4-year-old victim “in the trunk of the Nissan sedan,” which is allegedly registered to Motes.
Authorities did not disclose the relationship between Motes and the unidentified 4-year-old victim.
Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the Oakwood Police Department was the initial agency investigating the victim’s death. Police then requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the GBI, upon the completion of the investigation, the case file will be turned over to the Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Motes has remained in custody at the Hall County Detention Center since her initial arrest.
