News
News

Mother killed, baby in car seat OK after DeKalb County crash

When officers arrived, they found the car upside down in an embankment.
When officers arrived, they found the car upside down in an embankment.
By
Aug 19, 2019

A mother was killed Saturday in a car crash in DeKalb County, but her baby was found unharmed, police said.

Officers responded to the wreck about 7:20 p.m. in the area of Browns Mill Road and East Saddleridge Drive near Lithonia, DeKalb police spokesman Sgt. J.D. Spencer told Channel 2 Action News.

Authorities found the car upside down in an embankment, he said. The driver, identified as 23-year-old Valencia Merit, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Spencer said her son was found inside the vehicle still secured inside his car seat.

While the baby was not injured, he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, Spencer said. His age was not released.

The investigation is ongoing.

We are working to learn more.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

In other news: 

Police said the shooting broke out during a fight. Carver High School played Mays High School Friday night.

About the Author

Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.

More Stories

Keep Reading

Cox Enterprises CEO Alex Taylor and AJC Publisher Andrew Morse were joined by AJC editors and Atlanta business react during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Midtown on Friday, January 24, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

‘The only thing that changes is how we deliver it’

As the AJC nears the end of its print chapter, some of the reporters, editors and photographers who make the AJC reflect on their “big break" moments.

Georgia authority says ransomware attack thwarted, real estate portal online

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, which operates a database for the state’s real estate index, said it detected the intrusion Nov. 21.

Breakdown: Three days in May

Season 11 of the AJC’s Breakdown true crime podcast starts soon. It begins with a Georgia couple, a newborn—and a discovery that triggers a living nightmare.

The Latest

Atlanta trial lawyer James Hugh Potts II is uploading videotaped depositions to YouTube to expose what he says is important public information, such as negligence in hospitals. This has upset Wellstar, who Potts has several cases against.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

A.M. ATL: TikTok law

Georgia authority says ransomware attack thwarted, real estate portal online

A.M. ATL: Super soakers, smelly water

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo

A 30-year-old’s overdose sparked a new law. Now courts are testing how far it can go.

Austin’s Law, passed in 2024, is leading to convictions of fentanyl dealers after a father’s fight for justice following his son’s overdose death.

Jared Curtis isn’t the only Georgia football storyline to watch on signing day

What will National Signing Day look like? It is starting to materialize significant storylines.

Search for inmate who escaped from Grady hospital enters second day

Timothy Shane is accused of stealing an SUV and then crashing it during the getaway, according to authorities.