PHOTO: GOFUNDME
Authorities in Georgia are now investigating the homicide of 8-year-old Noah Bush, weeks after initially deeming his death accidental. On May 16, law enforcement officials discovered Noah’s body in a borrow pit in Jesup, Georgia.
Initially, police stated there was no evidence of foul play in Noah’s death, as reported by WJCL, WTOC, and First Coast News. However, recent findings have shifted this assessment. The medical examiner’s office determined that Noah’s death was a homicide caused by drowning, as per WJCL, WTOC, and First Coast News.
Wayne County officials have now charged two children, ages 10 and 11, in connection with Noah’s death. Authorities also arrested Natalie Hardison, 35, the mother of one of the arrested children, on three charges, according to WSAV and WJCL.
Online court records indicate that Hardison was arrested on July 10 on charges of providing false statements, probation violation, and failure to comply with the mandatory education statute for children between ages 6 and 16.
Noah was reported missing on May 15, after he was last seen in Jesup a few hours prior, Wayne County authorities told WJCL. His body was found the next morning. Despite initial claims from police that his death was accidental, Noah’s family maintained from the beginning that there was foul play involved.
“I want answers,” his mother, Demetrice Bush, said at the time, according to WJCL. “I want to know what happened to him. I want to know who hurt him.” His sister, Alayzia McClinton, added, “My brother apparently jumped into a creek and drowned, but my brother did not like water.”
The allegation of foul play emerged after Wayne County officials invited the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into Noah’s death. “This finding was based on the fact that one of the two juveniles whom were with Noah pushed him into the deep portion of the borrow pit they were wading in,” the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Bush’s family attorney told ABC Chicago, “Noah and the two juveniles involved in this got into some argument, and an argument led to them pushing Noah into the water and possibly holding his head underwater.” The attorney added, “[Noah] walked away with people he believed were his friends and trustworthy.”
In Georgia, juvenile charges are not public record, WTOC reported. Johnson said both young boys face charges of criminal trespassing and concealment of a death. The 11-year-old faces additional charges, including involuntary manslaughter. It is not immediately clear if Hardison and the children have entered pleas or retained attorneys.
