Police say the girl died after an alleged car-seat incident, while her twin brother was later hospitalized with fractures and other medical problems.
ATLANTA — Two adults have been arrested following an investigation into the death of a 1-month-old girl and medical problems later discovered in her surviving twin brother, with one defendant now facing a second-degree murder charge, Atlanta police and court records cited by local media show.
James Hayes, 32, and Kennedi Ponder, 31, were arrested Aug. 6 after an investigation that began when officers responded to a southwest Atlanta home on May 2. Police said they found the infant, Kaziah Ponder, unresponsive. Grady EMS transported her to Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead despite efforts to save her. Hayes and Ponder each face child cruelty charges, while Hayes also faces second-degree murder.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by WXIA-TV and reviewed in subsequent reports, investigators allege Hayes placed Kaziah in a car seat without fastening its restraints and then fell asleep on a couch. The warrant says the circumstances led to probable positional asphyxia. The allegation is part of the criminal case and has not been proven in court.
The case expanded later in May when Kaziah’s twin brother was taken to a hospital because of a breathing problem, according to police accounts reported by WXIA and Law&Crime. Medical staff found that the boy had several bone fractures, signs of malnutrition and electrolyte abnormalities. Police also said a urine test was positive for THC. Authorities have not publicly explained how the fractures occurred or how THC entered the child’s system.
Atlanta police said homicide investigators became involved following Kaziah’s death. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office was notified and took custody of the infant’s body after she was pronounced dead. Investigators continued examining the circumstances surrounding both children before homicide detectives, with assistance from the department’s fugitive unit, took Hayes and Ponder into custody without incident on Aug. 6.
Hayes is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree cruelty to children involving deprivation of necessary sustenance and second-degree cruelty to children, according to reports citing police and arrest records. Ponder is charged with first-degree cruelty to children involving deprivation of necessary sustenance and second-degree cruelty to children. The charges are accusations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Police have not publicly detailed the precise relationship between each defendant and the two children in their official announcement. A relative identified Ponder as the children’s mother in a public social media post, according to Law&Crime. Authorities have also not released a detailed public explanation of the surviving boy’s current condition beyond the medical findings reported from his hospitalization.
The investigation links two separate medical emergencies involving the infant twins within the same month. The first began at about 7:49 a.m. May 2, when officers were sent to a home on Mary George Avenue SW for a person-down call involving Kaziah. The second came later in May, when her twin brother’s hospitalization brought the fractures, nutritional concerns and positive THC test to the attention of authorities.
Hayes and Ponder were scheduled for preliminary hearings on Aug. 31, according to Law&Crime. Atlanta police had not announced additional arrests or publicly explained the cause of the surviving child’s injuries as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated August 12, 2026.