Mother charged after 7-month-old baby found dead inside vehicle at car dealership

Written by: A. Smith

Published November 10, 2025 @ 9:46 AM ET

LEE COUNTY, Ga. – A 22-year-old Georgia mother has been arrested and charged with murder after her 7-month-old baby was found unresponsive inside a vehicle at a car dealership, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Nyla Simmons, 22, of Albany, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children in connection with her infant’s death.

According to investigators, on October 16, 2025, deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office were called to a hospital in Albany, Dougherty County, after the baby was brought in from the Kia Automotive Dealership on Ledo Road in Albany. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Deputies immediately contacted the GBI to assist with the investigation. Through interviews and evidence collection, agents identified Simmons, the child’s mother, as the primary suspect. Authorities have not released additional details about the baby’s condition when first found or the circumstances leading up to the death.

After weeks of investigation, GBI agents arrested Simmons on November 3, 2025, at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office without incident. She was booked into the Lee County Jail, where she is being held without bond.

The case remains active and ongoing, according to the GBI.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Americus at 229-931-2439 or the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Leesburg at 229-759-6012. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.