Boyfriend hid 2-year-old's body after hours-long delay

A Georgia man faces murder charges after police said he failed to report his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son missing until the child had been dead for a “considerable amount of time,” then allegedly hid the body in the woods behind their apartment complex.

Investigators in Douglas County say the boy’s mother’s boyfriend, 31-year-old Liam Jackson, told police he realized the toddler was missing only after returning home from work. Officers found the child’s body on Saturday evening behind the Austell apartment complex where Jackson and the boy’s mother lived. Police did not disclose how long the child had been dead but described the delay in reporting as unusually long.

Autopsy results are pending to determine the exact cause of death. Jackson remains jailed without bond on murder and concealing a death charges. The toddler’s mother, who was not named in reports, has not been charged. Authorities have not said whether she was present when the child’s body was discovered.

The case highlights how domestic violence and child endangerment often escalate behind closed doors, with abusers manipulating time, stories and evidence. Georgia law requires anyone knowing a child is in danger to report it immediately, yet many abusers delay or hide abuse to avoid accountability. A Georgia State University study found that in nearly 40 percent of child abuse fatalities, the non-parent caregiver—often a boyfriend or live-in partner—posed the greatest risk. Police are reviewing whether anyone else in the household knew about the child’s condition or death before it was reported. Jackson’s next court appearance is scheduled for next week.