Miami Standard (Columbus, GA) – A 6-week-old infant has tragically lost his life, and his parents are now behind bars following a determination by law enforcement in Georgia that they are accountable for his passing.
On March 2, at approximately 12:45 p.m., the Columbus Police Department was alerted to a situation involving an infant who was found with bruises and was not breathing, according to a press release from the agency. Authorities reported that the young one was swiftly taken to the medical facility.
“The doctors advised nurses to stop CPR as the baby was already set in rigor mortis,” Columbus police Investigator Bethany Thompson said Friday during an emotional court hearing, according to local ABC affiliate WTVM.
Simmons broke down in tears while Thompson presented the state’s case against her and her partner.
Thompson allegedly observed that the boy’s face and chest had turned blue. A young child, whose identity remains undisclosed, was resting alongside his parents, 27-year-old Ryan McMilleon and 31-year-old Ariel Simmons.
“Ryan stated that Ariel was still asleep when he had woken up, and he had asked where the baby was, looked over and noticed a blanket was over the baby’s head,” Thompson testified. “Ryan stated when the blanket was pulled off the baby, the baby was lying flat on a Boppy, a pillow used for nursing, and it was around the baby’s head.”
Keyanna Marshall, the attorney for Simmons, stated that it seems the death happened while her client and McMilleon were sharing a sleep space with the baby.
“I think that it came out in court today that the bruises that the baby did get are consistent with co-sleeping. It was truly an accident,” Marshall told WTVM.
However, the situation for McMilleon and Simmons is further complicated by the allegation that the infant was found wrapped in a sweatshirt that held a pill bottle containing methamphetamine. According to law enforcement, the bottle was labelled with Simmons’ name. Authorities first took McMilleon into custody for having methamphetamine, while Simmons was apprehended due to an existing warrant.
Detective Thompson further stated that McMilleon acknowledged he and Simmons had been consuming alcohol the evening before their infant’s tragic passing. In response to enquiries regarding substance use, McMilleon acknowledged having smoked marijuana that evening and confessed to previous experiences with meth and cocaine. The attempts have varied significantly over time. During an interview with the Department of Family and Children Services, McMilleon admitted that both he and Simmons would have traces of meth in their systems, explaining that they resorted to it due to feeling stressed and exhausted. Nonetheless, the argument put forth is that both individuals engaged solely in smoking marijuana and consuming alcohol.
Following an extensive investigation lasting over two weeks, law enforcement officials have taken the parents into custody, facing serious allegations of second-degree murder and child cruelty. They are both still held at the Muscogee County Jail.
A judge heard from McMilleon’s mother, who asserted that her son would never deliberately harm his child.
“He loved his kids very much,” she said.
Jean Lopez 
