GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A woman accused of the death of her own child appeared in a Gwinnett County courtroom on Wednesday afternoon.
Jasmine Walker, 30, reportedly left the oven turned on to heat her Norcross apartment in November 2021 as she slept near her 2-month-old baby, Eden, according to police.
“They were having heating issues in the apartment, so she used the stove to heat the apartment,” Detective Angela Carter testified.
When Walker woke up, she found Eden dead. In August, Eden’s death was ruled a homicide.
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Channel 2′s Matt Johnson was in the courtroom when a judge ruled that Walker would stay in jail.
Investigators say the Eden’s short life was filled with challenges from the very beginning. They say she was born with cocaine in her system and spent three weeks in the NICU because of it.
About a month after getting out of the hospital, Eden died in an apartment described as “boiling hot.”
Carter testified that Eden was found in layers of clothing and in a car seat while her mother slept on a nearby couch.
“There were still areas in the apartment that were reading at approximately 89 degrees,” Carter said. “The baby overheated and sweated profusely and ultimately died because of it.”
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The Department of Family and Child Services nearly removed Eden from Walker’s home, but police say she did not cooperate with staff.
“They kept saying she was non-compliant, she would not answer the phone, she would not answer the door, and I don’t believe she ever took an actual drug test,” Carter testified.
A safety plan stated that Walker was not to be alone with the child. Eden’s father was on his way to Alabama when she died, but has not been charged with any crimes.
Walker is currently being held in the Gwinnett County Jail on murder and child cruelty charges.
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