The Atlanta Police Department (APD) released a statement that 32-year-old Kandice Grace of Milledgeville was taken into custody Sept. 29 and is being charged with murder in the second degree and cruelty to children in the second degree for her involvement in the homicide of her son that occurred at 311 Scott St. SW in Atlanta on April 6.
She was booked into the Fulton County Jail after being detained in Baldwin County, according to the statement.
According to a story published by 13WMAZ, the April 6 death was related to Simmons’ 7-year-old son, Mazi Simmons, who was found unresponsive in a vehicle. He was reportedly discovered in the back seat of the vehicle with his head stuck in a window.
A jail report acquired by 11Alive reported a witness stating Grace arrived at his home the night before and left the children inside the vehicle. The next morning, the witness found her passed out in the driver’s seat while Mazi’s head was hanging out of the window.
Simmons was reportedly passing out while attempting to hold her child and talk to police during her on-scene interview. This led investigators to obtain a warrant to test her urine and blood.
On Aug. 8, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation notified APD investigators that Grace's toxicology results were positive for opioids and THC, according to 13WMAZ.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental by strangulation, according to 13WMAZ.