A Georgia mother has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing her 4-year-old son.
Keara Cotton, 31, was sentenced on Wednesday, the same day as her son’s ninth birthday.
Cotton was arrested in 2022 after police found the body of her son, Jayceion Mathis, wrapped in a plastic shopping bag and shower curtain behind a Cordele shopping mall. WGXA reports.
The Georgia Department of Family and Children Services began an investigation in January 2022 after family members reported to police that they had not seen Jessen in months.
The agency and police made multiple attempts to contact Cotton but were unsuccessful.
That same day, Cotton reportedly “disappeared” and told her mother that she would take Jession to see her the next day.
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Investigators eventually found Cotton after she fled to Cordele, Americus and Columbus.
Days later, police found the boy’s body behind a shopping center in Cordele.
The medical examiner determined that the boy died in November 2021.
Cotton told police she woke up and found her son not breathing, and instead of calling police, she wrapped his body and placed it in their Dooley County home.
The district attorney’s office said there were “different accounts” of the boy’s death.
The medical examiner’s office said the exact cause of death could not be determined because Jessen’s body was decomposed when it was found.
Cotton was ultimately charged Murder, concealing the death of another, and second-degree cruelty.
Even before Jessen’s death, there were reports of abuse in the home.
“Two months before her son was found dead, a report accused Cotton of domestic violence, claiming the 4-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister were still not being properly fed or bathed,” WGXA reported.
In a statement to WALB-TVDistrict Attorney Brad Rigby said, “I can’t think of better justice than convicting Jessen’s killer on February 4, 2026, his birthday. The District Attorney’s Office is pleased to be a voice and advocate for justice for children who have no voice.”