Inset: Jessica M. Motes (Hall County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Sam’s Club where a 4-year-old girl was allegedly found in the trunk of Motes’ car (Google Maps).
Jessica Maria Motes was apprehended over the weekend and is now facing charges for concealing the death of a child, according to legal documents examined by Law&Crime.
The case against Motes includes a probable cause affidavit, revealing that her father contacted authorities after witnessing her drive into the parking lot of a business located on the 3000 block of Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
This location is identified as a Sam’s Club, approximately 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Motes’ father reportedly informed the police that during their conversation, his daughter made several self-incriminating remarks. Among these, Motes allegedly admitted to injuring the child and expressed to her father, “I think she is dead.”
Motes’ father allegedly told police that when he spoke to his daughter, she made several incriminating statements. 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.
Motes was taken into custody and booked into the Hall County Jail late Sunday evening. She is currently being held without bond, records show. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court.
Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the Oakwood Police Department was the initial agency investigating the victim’s death. Police then reportedly requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
The GBI and sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to requests from Law&Crime for additional information regarding the investigation.
