Keara Sade Cotton, 31, from Vienna, Georgia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on February 4, 2026—her son Jayceion Mathis’s would-be ninth birthday—for second-degree murder and concealing the death of the 3-year-old (sometimes reported as 4), following her guilty plea.
Case Background
Jayceion died in November 2021 while under Cotton’s care in Dooly County; she wrapped his body in a shopping bag and shower curtain, then discarded it behind a Cordele shopping center, where it was found decomposed in early 2022, preventing a definitive cause of death by medical examiners.
Cotton initially claimed she awoke to find him not breathing and hid the body at home before fleeing through multiple cities; she was arrested in January 2022 after family reported him missing.
Prior Concerns
The Department of Family and Children Services conducted unsuccessful welfare checks amid reports of Cotton’s history of child neglect and abuse toward Jayceion and his sibling; she evaded authorities for months.
District Attorney Brad Rigby emphasized the sentencing date’s symbolism, stating justice was served for a voiceless child.
