CLAYTON COUNTY, GA — New legal developments have officially canceled a scheduled preliminary hearing for two Clayton County parents accused in the death of their six-month-old son.
Court documents show Antonio Pearce and Necolette Pratt have both been indicted following the October death of Nnakai Pratt. Pearce faces a charge of malice murder, while Pratt is charged with concealing a death, sending both cases to Superior Court and eliminating the need for a preliminary hearing in Magistrate Court.
When the case was called, the judge referred to it as “the State of Georgia versus Antonio Pearce.” The prosecutor then confirmed, “Yes, that case has been indicted,” leaving nothing remaining before the Magistrate Court.
A preliminary hearing, which had been scheduled for December 15, would have allowed police to lay out evidence to show probable cause—reason to believe a crime occurred and that the defendants committed it. Until now, investigators had released limited details.
“This is an ongoing investigation so there are some details we’re not going to release right now,” Clayton County Police Detective Chieyenne Reynolds previously said.
Police say Nnakai Pratt was found dead of blunt force trauma. Reynolds said the autopsy determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma and that the child was discovered inside a trash bag with what police described as “insect activity.” Investigators said the baby was found in some woods behind a Clayton County apartment complex.
Police said Pearce initially told officers the baby had been kidnapped, a claim investigators later determined was false. Reynolds said Pearce gave inconsistent statements during interviews.
“He had inconsistent statements, he was caught in a lot of lies throughout his interview process,” Reynolds said.
Following the discovery, the child’s twin sister was taken into state custody.
A bond hearing is scheduled for December 19 for Pratt. No bond hearing has been scheduled for Pearce.
WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.