Police have found an 8-year-old Gwinnett County girl who was reported missing dead in a Dekalb County neighborhood.
According to a report from Gwinnett County Police, Nicole Amari Hall was found Tuesday around 10:45 a.m. in the woods near Juliet Drive and Stone Mill Trace. Both the girl's mother and her partner have been arrested and charged in the case.
The girl's mother, Brittany Nicole Hall, called police to report her daughter missing around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hall was living with her three children and partner, Celeste Owens, at the Hometown Studios on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
Hall's two other children, a six-year-old girl and five-year-old boy, have been taken into custody by DFCS, according to police.
According to the police report, statements given by Hall and Owens at the beginning of the investigation did not match. When statements and uncovered evidence suggested that the girl would not be found safe, the Gwinnett County Homicide Unit joined the case.
Owens was arrested Sunday night and charged with making false statements, according to the report. She was charged Tuesday with felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children.
On Monday, the girl's mother was arrested and charged with false report of a crime and first-degree cruelty to children. The report stated she may face additional charges as the investigation continues.
Both women are being held without bond as of Tuesday afternoon, according to jail records.
Original story posted Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, at 10:33 a.m.:
The search continues for a little girl with autism reported missing on Sunday morning from a Gwinnett County hotel.
The Gwinnett County Police Department said Nicole Amari Hall, 8, was last seen by her mother between midnight and 1 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21. The child and her mother had been staying at Hometown Studios at 7049 Jimmy Carter Blvd. in Peachtree Corners. Police said in a media statement the girl was not familiar with the area.
The child was last seen wearing a blue Tweety-Bird jacket, with a blue and white pajama set. She is possibly wearing her glasses and her rainbow light-up shoes. Hall is 4’10” tall and weighs approximately 80 pounds.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, investigators told reporters every room at the hotel had been searched. They also have used helicopters and K9 officers in the search.
They said the child's mother is cooperating with investigators.
Anyone who might have information to share on the girl's whereabouts is asked to call Gwinnett County Police Department detectives at 770-513-5300.
