A Georgia family endured a devastating nightmare last weekend after their 4-year-old daughter disappeared from her bedroom, triggering a desperate search that ended in tragedy.
First responders found Jayde Wooten receiving CPR in the driveway of her parents’ home on the 1200 block of Rocky Creek Road in Macon shortly before 2 p.m., according to an incident report.
Jayde’s father, Maleek, told a deputy he had just arrived home when he discovered that his daughter was missing from her room, WGXA reported.
He asked Jayde’s mother, Jordenn Jones-Wooten, where she had last seen the child. She said Jayde had been eating in the kitchen before falling asleep.
Maleek said he frantically searched every room in the house but could not locate his daughter. He then went outside to look for her and ask neighbors if they had seen Jayde, according to WGXA.
When he heard Jayde’s mother scream, he rushed back inside. There, he found the child upside down in a bathroom garbage can filled with water and fish, incident reports obtained by WGXA stated.
Water was reportedly running in small puddles from the home’s front door.
Maleek pulled Jayde from the container and carried her outside while urgently calling for help.
Jayde Wootsen, 4, died after she was found upside down inside a garbage can filled with water and fish
Neighbors performed CPR on the girl before she was taken to a hospital, where Jayden was pronounced dead later that day
Jayde’s family created an online fundraiser seeking support: ‘Any kindness shared through this fundraiser will help ease some of the financial burden during an incredibly painful time’
One neighbor told a deputy that Jayde’s mother was also seeking assistance and came to her home.
The neighbor and another woman took turns performing CPR until deputies with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office arrived.
During CPR, one neighbor said Jayde expelled fluid from her mouth and briefly opened her eyes. The woman then placed the child on her side to help clear her airway.
The second neighbor told the deputy she was unable to find a pulse while performing CPR, according to documents reviewed by WGXA.
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Emergency crews transported Jayde to a medical facility, where she was later pronounced dead, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said.
Her autopsy results were still pending as of Saturday night.
A GoFundMe campaign created by Jayden’s family described the death as a “horrible accident.”
The fundraiser will help pay funeral expenses and provide support for Jayde’s parents in the months ahead.
“No parent should ever have to face this kind of pain,” the fundraiser said.
Jordenn Jones-Wooten and Maleek Wooten experienced every parent’s worst nightmare
Jordenn wrote in a Facebook post: ‘I don’t know how to explain the emptiness, the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, or the moments when it still doesn’t feel real’
The results of Jayden’s autopsy remained pending as of Saturday night as the official cause of her death is yet to be determined
The Jones County School System stated they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the loss of one of its Pre-Kingerdaten students.
It also shared thoughts and prayers for the student’s family, friends, classmates, and ‘all who loved them.’
In a Wendesday post, two days before deleting Facebook, Jordenn publicly shared her thoughts: ‘Please stop asking me if I’m okay. I know you mean well. I know you’re asking because you care.
‘But the truth is, I’m not okay. I lost my 4-year-old. My baby. My child. And there is no version of “okay” that exists for me right now.
‘I don’t know how to put into words what it feels like to wake up and remember that my daughter is gone. I don’t know how to explain the emptiness, the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, or the moments when it still doesn’t feel real.
‘I don’t need anyone to fix this, because this isn’t something anyone can fix. I just need to be allowed to grieve my little girl without having to pretend that I’m okay.’
Our News Outlet reached out to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the investigation.
