Who is Artavious North? Missing toddler J'Asiah Mitchell's father arrested for lying about his disappearance
DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA: Police in Fulton County, Georgia, commenced the process of draining a small lake near an apartment complex in East Point on Friday, August 18.
This followed the arrest of the father of 2-year-old J'Asiah Mitchell, who had allegedly provided false information about the toddler's disappearance.
J'Asiah was abducted near Panthersville early Thursday, August 17, according to the DeKalb Police Department, New York Post reported.
J'Asiah's father's account of armed abduction unravels
J'Asiah vanished on Wednesday night while under the care of his father, Artavious North, 23. Initially, North informed the police that the boy had been abducted by armed individuals while he was leaving a different apartment complex in Dekalb County.
However, North was apprehended on Thursday, August 17 on charges of making false statements and filing a false crime report after an investigation by the DeKalb County Police Department revealed inconsistencies and no evidence of a robbery or kidnapping.
J'Asiah's grandmother expressed doubts about the father's claims, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
"There's either more to the story, or the whole story is just a lie, because even if it was a drug deal gone bad, or whatever the case may be, they would hurt him and not the baby," she said.
"I think the dad need to tell us what happened," she added.
Police searched a landfill in Griffin, Georgia, as part of the ongoing investigation.
Emotional appeal amid investigation into J'Asiah's disappearance
J'Asiah's mother, who earlier pleaded publicly for her son's return, expressed her emotional distress, sharing, "I'm overwhelmed. I'm tired, exhausted, scared."
The DeKalb County Police Homicide Unit, responsible for handling missing persons' cases, stated that it would transfer the investigation to the East Point Police Department following North's arrest.
"Asiah was last seen at the East Point apartment complex," police said, according to WSB-TV.
"It’s really critical. This is a 2-year-old boy," Ischa Njoku of the East Point Police Department told WSB. "We have to find this boy."
