James Brandon Shelton

DALTON, Ga. — Two people have been charged in connection with the death of a 16-year-old male whose body was found outside of a home on East Walnut Avenue on Jan. 27.

According to Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood, Chasity Beavers, 19, of 1547 Fire Tower Road, Fairmount, “facilitated the juvenile’s escape from (a) group home in Columbus …” Beavers was “aided” by the juvenile’s uncle, James Brandon Shelton, 24, of 121 Thomas Road, Chatsworth, in assisting the juvenile “to elude capture.”

“Both Beavers and Shelton took measures to keep the juvenile from being captured, which ultimately endangered the juvenile’s safety,” Chitwood said in a press release.

Beavers and Shelton are charged with second-degree cruelty to children and false statements. Beavers is also charged with interference with custody. Beavers was released from the county jail on a $5,000 bond, a jail official said. Shelton was still being held in the jail.

Chitwood previously said the juvenile had left the group home and the supervision of the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DOJJ) in Columbus late on the night of Jan. 25 or Jan. 26.

“The juvenile was in the co-care of the Division of Family and Children Services and DOJJ due to the juvenile not having a legal guardian,” an earlier press release from the sheriff said. That press release said he became a ward of the state on Feb. 7, 2018, and “absconded” from the group home in Columbus.

The name of the deceased has not been released because he is a juvenile.

Capt. Paul Woods with the sheriff’s office said on Jan. 27 that there was no visible trauma to the body or “apparent cause of death.” The body was sent to the state crime lab for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

“The sheriff’s office will not rule out foul play until the ongoing investigation and the medical examiner’s report have both been completed,” Chitwood said in the earlier press release. That press release said the juvenile was detained at the Regional Youth Detention Center on Dec. 12 of last year and was transferred to the group home in Columbus on Jan. 22.

Juvenile arrest records and Juvenile Court documents are not open records under state law and are sealed from public release. 

The body of the juvenile was found Jan. 27 around noon lying face down near the front porch of a home at 3111 E. Walnut Ave. Woods said the juvenile was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. The first press release said he was not wearing shoes or socks. Overnight temperatures in Dalton dipped to a low of 21 degrees that day, according to accuweather.com.

Woods said the owners of the home had no connection to the teen.