A DeKalb County man was arrested on a murder charge Wednesday, days after the death of a 19-month-old he was looking after, authorities said.

Kentavious Hardnett, 23, was taken into custody in Stone Mountain by DeKalb deputies, county marshals and the Brookhaven Police Department’s K-9 unit, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Cynthia Williams said in a news release.

The child, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital Sunday after reportedly being injured in a fall, Williams said, adding that the baby later died. The circumstances surrounding the child’s death are unclear, but authorities said the 19-month-old was in Hardnett’s care at the time.

The case is being investigated by the DeKalb County Police Department. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reached out to police for more information about the incident, including the baby’s name, cause of death and relationship to Hardnett.

Hardnett remained held without bond Wednesday at the DeKalb County Jail.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The SNAP program provided benefits to about 13% of Georgia’s population, 1.4 million people, during the 2024 fiscal year. (Associated Press)

Credit: Sipa USA via AP

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC