Officers heard cry before infant found dead

Officers went inside, acting on a tip that her children were being left unattended, said Gwinnett police detective Shelly Millsap. He said the house was littered with discarded clothing, partially-eaten food, unwashed dishes and an overturned ashtray.

Officers heard an infant cry again as they climbed the stairs to a second floor but then there was "almost an instantaneous stop," Millsap said. Minutes later, police found Holcomb cowering in a crawlspace at the back of a closet under the stairs.

The baby was blue and unconscious from being pressed tightly against Holcomb's shoulder, Millsap said. Robbie died three days later at an area hospital. An autopsy revealed the baby suffocated.

Holcomb wiped away tears and chewed her bottom lip during the testimony.

She reportedly told police she was hiding because she was wanted for violating her probation on a prior shoplifting charge. A Gwinnett County Magistrate judge on Friday bound over to Superior Court charges of murder and first-degree child cruelty.

Holcomb's 3-year-old son, Jacob, is in the custody of his paternal grandmother, Millsap said. Relatives who attended the hearing declined to talk about the case.