Georgia mother indicted in death of baby found in hotel freezer

Amanda Gail Oakes

Amanda Gail Oakes

A Georgia woman whose dead baby was found in a hotel freezer has been indicted.

Amanda Gail Oakes, 36, of Murrayville, is charged in Alabama with manslaughter and abuse of a corpse, according to multiple media reports.

She’s in jail in Dothan, Ala., where the baby’s body was found in June, authorities said. Bond on the manslaughter charge is $250,000 and $150,000 on the abuse of a corpse charge.

Florida authorities took custody of her and a Hall County man, 28-year-old Carlton James Mathis, on June 4 after a multistate manhunt. Police said Mathis is the baby’s father.

According to investigators, Mathis and Oakes left Georgia with the baby after authorities tried to arrest him on burglary and parole violation charges, according to the Dothan Eagle in Alabama.

RELATED: Georgia mother charged with manslaughter in death of baby found in hotel freezer

The couple checked into a Dothan motel. She briefly returned to Georgia, where she picked up her teen daughter, leaving the baby with Mathis.

During her trip, Mathis called Oakes and said the baby had died, according to investigators. The next day, Oakes and her daughter returned to the motel, where she spent the night with the child’s corpse.

Police said the couple went shopping at Walmart before heading to Florida, intentionally leaving the baby’s body in the freezer of the hotel room.

Hall County Sheriff’s Department officials contacted Dothan police about a possible child death and said Mathis could be in the Dothan area with the dead baby.

Authorities then tracked the couple to an apartment in Bronson, Fla., AJC.com previously reported. SWAT officers were called in, and Mathis, who reportedly was armed, was shot four times after he allegedly tried to run.

He has been charged with murder and is in custody in Levy County, Fla.

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