Mummified child identified; mother charged, DeKalb police say

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating after the mummified body of a child was found in a closet at a DeKalb County apartment complex earlier this week.

A DeKalb County Police Department incident report reveals police received a call about a dead person at the Hidden Valley Apartments on Misty Waters Drive.

Police identified the victim Friday as seven-year-old Alva Hobbs-Jordan. Investigators say they have arrested the child’s mother, Alondra Hobbs, on charges of felony murder and cruelty in the 2nd degree.

DeKalb County Police discovered the body after receiving a 911 call from a deactivated cell phone. Deactivated cell phones are still able to call 911 for emergencies.

Police checked the closet inside the apartment the caller mentioned and found a decaying body, according to the police report.

Catherine Costello lives next door to the unit where the body was found on Sunday night.

“It’s an atrocity it really is. It’s a shame that humanity can get that low,” Costello said.

Costello said the unit has been vacant for a while, but a woman lived there before. Costello said she never saw a child.