The parents of a central Georgia girl who died last week have been arrested and accused of negligence that led to her death.
John Joseph “Joey” Yozviak, 38, was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children in connection with the death of Kaitlyn Yozviak, his 12-year-old daughter. Yozviak’s charges come a few days after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Kathrine “Katie” Horton, 37, on the same charges in her daughter’s death, which happened in Wilkinson County, according to a GBI statement.
Horton contacted the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office about 2:11 p.m. Aug. 26, alerting authorities that her daughter was unresponsive. The child was transported to the Navicent Medical Center in Baldwin County, where she was pronounced dead.
Soon after Kaitlyn’s death, the Ivey Police Department, GBI and the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation and executed a search warrant at the residence. The girl’s body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Macon for an autopsy. A preliminary investigation showed that Kaitlyn was subjected to excessive pain due to medical negligence.
Mary Chandler, a GBI special agent, told WMAZ the family had a long history of such negligence.
“Basically there’s a history with Department of Family and Children Services in a number of counties in this area since the child has been born,” Chandler said.
Similar incidents were reported in Twiggs and Jones counties. The family has lived in Wilkinson County since February. Though Chandler did not reveal the details of Kaitlyn’s condition, she said the case is the “worst we’ve ever seen.”
The town of Ivey came together Sunday night for a vigil honoring Kaitlyn’s life. The community also protested the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services — with more than 70 people gathering to demand an explanation why Child Protective Services did not do more to prevent her death.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Ivey Police Department at 478-628-2479 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 478-445-4173.
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