The GBI and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office have arrested and charged Dakota Taylor, age 21, of Wrens, GA, with Malice Murder, Felony Murder, and First-Degree Cruelty to Children. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI on January 8, 2025, to assist with an investigation into the death of an 8-month-old child in Matthews, Georgia.
Preliminary information revealed the victim was Taylor’s child and was found unresponsive at a home in the 2100 block of Mt. Moriah Road in Matthews, Georgia. The child was taken to a local hospital where the child died.
Taylor was arrested on Thursday, November 20, 2025. At the time of her arrest, Taylor was being held at the McDuffie County Jail on other charges out of DeKalb County, Georgia, relating to another child death investigation.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Thomson at 706-595-2575. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Once complete, the case will be turned over to Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tripp Fitzners Office for prosecution.
