Marietta 5-year-old dies after 911 call; parents arrested as police review alleged child abuse evidence
Child dies after hospitalization; parents booked on 12 felony counts
A 5-year-old boy has died after being found unresponsive at a Marietta home and transported to two metro Atlanta hospitals, triggering a criminal investigation that led to felony charges against both parents and protective custody for four other children in the household.
Marietta police said officers responded around 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, to a 911 call from a residence on Ramona Street. Investigators said the child’s parents told dispatchers they had been performing CPR for several minutes and reported the boy was not breathing and was unresponsive.
First responders arrived to find the child lying on the floor, still unresponsive. Firefighters took over CPR, and the boy was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Police said he was later flown to Arthur M. Blank Hospital, part of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he remained on life support until he was pronounced dead shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Charges filed; police signal potential upgrades
Police said detectives opened a criminal investigation based on evidence and statements gathered early in the response. Arrest warrants were secured Monday, Feb. 2, and the parents were booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on a combined total of 12 felony counts.
Alexiss Eitrem, 31, of Marietta: five counts of cruelty to children in the second degree.
Michael Horn, 31, of Marietta: aggravated battery, aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree, and four counts of cruelty to children in the second degree.
Police said the charges filed Monday were likely to be upgraded as the investigation develops.
DFCS takes custody of four other children
Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services took custody of the couple’s four other children following the arrests, authorities said. The agency’s involvement is typical in situations where allegations suggest an immediate safety risk to other children in a home, and custody decisions can change as criminal and child-welfare investigations progress.
What remains unknown in the investigation
Authorities have not publicly identified the child or released details about the injuries cited in the warrants, the timeline of events leading to the medical emergency, or whether an autopsy has been completed. Police also have not disclosed whether either parent has retained an attorney or entered pleas.
In Georgia, felony cruelty-to-children charges can be filed based on allegations of willful deprivation, excessive physical or mental pain, or malicious harm, depending on the degree and circumstances outlined in statute.
The case remains under investigation by Marietta police, with any additional charges expected to follow further medical findings and prosecutorial review.