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Murder: Augusta Woman Leaves Godchild in Hot Truck

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An Augusta woman has been charged with murder and child cruelty after leaving her 8-month-old god baby in a hot truck Sunday and falling asleep inside her home, leading to the girl’s death.

Latoya Louise Bell, 31, is a cousin and godmother of Ja’Karheyonna Hougues-Double (right picture)Baby victim. She asked the child’s family if she could keep the baby for a while on Sunday, authorities said.

“She had gotten the baby about 8 o’clock in the morning,” Coroner Mark Bowen said. “The baby was found in the truck around 5 p.m.”

The coroner said the child was found strapped in the car seat in the truck on the 3900 block of Old Waynesboro Road. The baby was driven to University Hospital by a relative and after an attempt to save the child failed, she was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. Sunday.

According to a warrant, the victim “sustained a body temperature of 108 degrees and visible burns.” Weather data shows the temperature in Augusta was 92 degrees at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Investigators say Bell left the child in the vehicle, entered her residence and fell asleep, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Monica Belser.

Bowen said it was a hard death to handle.

“That was tough,” he said. “It’s never easy, but especially when it’s a young child.”

Bowen said the child’s mother works at 5 in the morning, and the child is usually watched by the great-grandmother. But when Bell asked to take the child for the day, the great-grandmother agreed and even let Bell use her truck. There are reports Bell took the child to church, but authorities are still investigating what happened later in the day.

The great-grandmother sent her granddaughter down to Bell’s home to check on the baby and found her in the truck, Bowen said. It appears she had been there for “several hours,” Bowen said.

An autopsy is planned for later Monday, but it could be Tuesday since the GBI lab in Atlanta is backed up.

Bell remains in the Richmond County Jail without bond.

Editor’s Note: If anyone from the family has a picture of Ja’Karheyonna Hougues-Double, please email it to publisher@thejailreport.com or text it to 803-487-3224.

Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Press and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel.
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