Left inset: Jatoria Cleamons (Hooks Police Department). Right inset: Courtlyn Cleamons (Bates Family Funeral Home). Background: The area near 100 Kennedy Circle in Hooks, Texas, where Courtlyn Cleamons died (Google Maps).
A Texas mother is accused of killing her 8-month-old baby by plunging him into a bath with scalding water after allegedly getting frustrated because he soiled his diaper, leaving the infant with burns and injuries that later killed him, police say.
Jatoria Cleamons, 21, formerly of Texarkana, is facing charges of injury to a child and manslaughter in connection to the death of her son, Courtlyn Cleamons, on Feb. 4, according to the Hooks Police Department. Cops announced Saturday that they were looking to take her into custody.
“If anyone sees Cleamons or knows of her whereabouts, please call 911 and advise law enforcement,” a press release said.
Officers and deputies with Bowie County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home at 100 Kennedy Circle in Hooks for a medic assist call that day and found medical responders performing CPR on Courtlyn upon their arrival, local CBS affiliate KSLA reports. Cleamons was allegedly staying with a relative.
Justice of the Peace Jay Wommack ordered that Courtlyn’s body be sent to the Southwest Institute of Forensics for an autopsy, which listed his cause of death as thermal injuries (scalding), per KSLA.
A homicide investigation was launched and Hooks Police teamed up with detectives at the Texarkana Texas Police Department to probe and question Cleamons. She allegedly admitted to giving her son an extremely hot bath while living at a residence in Texarkana roughly two weeks before he died. According to KSLA, she said she was frustrated with him because of the accident.
“Though his time on earth was brief, Courtlyn brought immense joy, love, and light to those who knew him,” an online obituary says. “His sweet presence will forever be cherished in the hearts of his family.”
On Facebook, Cleamons purportedly made several posts about her son’s death in the wake of what happened. “Rest in love my baby,” she wrote in the caption of a Facebook Reel showing pictures of Courtlyn.
“I love you so much and I miss you so much my heart is so broken,” Cleamons said. “I will always think about you. Rest in Heaven my love.”
Warrants for Cleamons’ arrest were issued Friday and she was still at large Sunday afternoon.
