5-year-old dies after days on life support, parents charged

Written by: A. Smith

Published February 10, 2026 @ 9:20 AM ET

COBB COUNTY, Ga. – A Marietta mother and father are facing multiple felony charges after their 5-year-old son died Wednesday morning following several days on life support, authorities said.

Marietta police said Cobb County 911 received a call just after 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, from the child’s parents, who reported they had been performing CPR on their son for several minutes. First responders were sent to a home in the 400 block of Ramona Street, where they found the parents next to the boy, who was lying on the floor unresponsive. Firefighters took over CPR at the scene before the child was transported to Kennestone Hospital. Police said he was later airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital in Atlanta for further treatment. After remaining on life support for several days, the child was pronounced dead around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Detectives charged both parents in connection with the boy’s death following what police described as a detailed investigation. The father, Michael Horn, 31, is charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree and four counts of cruelty to children in the second degree. According to an arrest warrant, investigators allege Horn inflicted blunt force trauma that led to internal bleeding, including bleeding in the child’s brain. The mother, Alexiss Eitrem, 31, is charged with five counts of cruelty to children in the second degree. Her arrest warrant alleges she knowingly allowed repeated beatings and torture of the 5-year-old by his biological father over the course of about five months, allowed it to happen in front of the other children in the home and made no effort to stop the abuse.

Police said the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services has taken custody of the couple’s four other children. Authorities have not released additional details about what led up to the child being found unresponsive, whether there were prior reports involving the household, or whether the child’s death has been ruled a homicide pending medical examiner findings. Information about bond, court dates, and whether either parent has retained an attorney was not included in the details provided.