Georgia father named as person of interest in 2-year-old son's disappearance
Police have named a Georgia man as a person of interest in the disappearance of his 2-year-old son, who has been missing nearly a week.
Artavious North, 23, has been jailed since his arrest last week on charges of making false statements and falsely reporting a crime, WXIA-TV reported. Police have now named him a person of interest in the disappearance of 2-year-old J'Asiah Mitchell.
"We believe this is a case that we know who is involved with it, and there is no stranger-to-stranger involving this missing 2-year-old," East Point Police Deputy Chief Russell Popham told the station.
East Point police say that North reported his son being kidnapped around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, saying a group of robbers cut him off as he was leaving an apartment complex in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur and took J'Asiah.
Police believe that was a lie, leading to his arrest on charges of making false statements.
It's unclear whether North has an attorney.
The search
Authorities are still frantically searching for J'Asiah.
Police drained a man-made lake at North's apartment complex over the weekend and searched a landfill but have not found him.
"We’re continuing to push forward," Popham told the station. "We brought in some other tools that we’re using now, including other personnel, other law enforcement agencies, and we’re just continuing to work hard to solve this case.”
He continued to say that investigators are "actively interviewing some of the same people that we interviewed before, as well as some new people that we were able to learn they possibly may have information, as well."
No other persons of interest in the case have been named.
The Carrollton Police Department also posted about J'Asiah on Monday afternoon, calling the toddler a sweet boy.
“If you have ANY information (no matter how insignificant you may think it is), PLEASE reach out,” the department pleaded on Facebook. “East Point Police Department is investigating this case and there are Carrollton connections.”
Both J'Asiah’s mother and father are from Carrollton, as well as their extended families, said Carrollton police Sgt. Meredith Hoyle Browning, an agency spokeswoman.
Police issued a warrant for North a few months ago on charges of aggravated assault stemming from a shooting, she said, adding that North fled to the East Point area after learning about the warrant and was staying with a girlfriend.
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Where is my baby?
J'Asiah’s mother, Asia Mitchell, has been organizing search parties for her son.
"Everybody’s night is back to normal and here I am still crying and wondering where my baby is?" Mitchell posted on Facebook on Sunday.
"My body is numb," she posted on Monday. 'Life is unfair and I’m learning it in a very hard and difficult way. God, I ask you to protect him, no harm or hurt, protect my baby."