Crime & Public Safety

One-year anniversary of Cobb toddler death looms

Cooper Harris died June 18, 2014, after his father, Ross Harris, left him in a hot car for seven hours.
Cooper Harris died June 18, 2014, after his father, Ross Harris, left him in a hot car for seven hours.
By Christian Boone
June 14, 2015

The television trucks are no longer parked outside her home. Reporters have stopped hounding her every move. And Leanna Harris is no longer trending on social media.

But June 18, 2014, still feels like yesterday to the woman whose husband is charged in the death of their 22-month-old son, Cooper. That afternoon, the nation’s attention turned to a parking lot in Smyrna where Ross Harris discovered his only child’s body still strapped into his car seat where he had been placed some seven hours earlier.

Ross Harris was arrested later that night and booked into the Cobb County Jail, where he’s remained ever since. He was subsequently charged with malice murder and two counts of felony murder.

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About the Author

A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.

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