Georgia 22-month-old boy fighting for his life as police charge 2 men with cruelty to children

TIFT COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia 22-month-old boy is fighting for his life after police believe he was abused by two men at a home in south Georgia.

Tifton Police told Channel 2′s ABC affiliate WALB-TV that officers responded to a call on Feb. 4 about a child who was not breathing.

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When they arrived, they found a 22-month-old who was visibly injured and took him to a hospital. He is currently in critical condition at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, according to a GoFundMe set up by the family.

Tamanika Drake, the boy’s great-aunt, says the 22-month-old had blunt force head and body trauma “too graphic to describe.”

“How and why could this happen? At this time, no one can perceive or understand why this has happened, which is secondary at this point as her son has had to have a portion of his skull removed so his brain can heal and now the waiting on a prognosis, as he lay in the balance of life and death with injuries too traumatic to even mention,” Drake wrote.

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Tift County jail records show that Fabian Croom and Jerry Monfort were booked a day later on Feb. 5. Tifton police confirmed to WALB-TV that their arrests are in connection with the child abuse investigation.

According to jail records, Croom faces two felony counts of aggravated assault and one felony count of cruelty to children in the first degree. Monfort faces similar charges as a party to the crime.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out for the men’s booking photos.

Anyone who may have additional information is asked to contact Tifton Det. Sgt. Sydney Saylor at (229) 382-3132. Anonymous tips can also be sent to Tifton police by using the Tifton PD Tip411 app.

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