Kandice Grace was arrested after toxicology results show she was high when her 7-year-old son died trapped in a car window, police say.
ATLANTA — A Georgia woman has been arrested months after her 7-year-old son died when his head became trapped in a car window in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Police Department reported that Kandice Grace, a 32-year-old from Milledgeville, was arrested on September 29 and faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children.
She was booked into the Fulton County Jail after initially being detained in Baldwin County, according to jail records.
The charges are connected to the death of Grace’s 7-year-old son, Mazi Simmons, who was found unresponsive on April 6 in a vehicle on Scott Street in southwest Atlanta.
An arrest warrant reviewed by 11Alive reveals that investigators found Simmons in the back seat of the car with his head caught in a window.
Two younger siblings were also in the car and were unharmed.
A witness told police Grace had arrived at his home the night before and left the children inside the vehicle.
The next morning, he said he found her passed out in the driver’s seat while Simmons’ head was hanging out of the window.
During an on-scene interview, police noted that Grace continually lost consciousness while trying to hold her son. Authorities obtained a warrant to conduct tests on her urine and blood as part of their investigation.
On Aug. 8, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) notified APD investigators that Grace’s toxicology results were positive for opioids and THC.
Investigators allege Grace was high while driving with her children and later passed out, leaving them unsupervised.
Her warrant states that her lack of supervision allowed Simmons to remain trapped in the window, leading to his death.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner identified Simmons as the victim and ruled his death accidental by strangulation.
