ATLANTA, Georgia — Kaziah Ponder never made it past her first month of life.
The infant girl was found unresponsive inside a home on Mary George Avenue SW on May 2, 2026. Officers arrived just before 8 a.m. to find the baby in a car seat — unfastened, and not breathing.
She was rushed to Hughes Spaulding Children’s Hospital. Despite lifesaving efforts, Kaziah was pronounced dead.
Investigators say her father, James Hayes, 32, had left her in the car seat while he slept on a couch. Authorities believe she suffocated due to her position in the unsecured seat — a condition known as positional asphyxia.
Her Twin Brother’s Condition Raised More Alarms
Kaziah’s twin brother, Kaiden Ponder, was taken to the hospital weeks later with a breathing issue.
What doctors found was deeply troubling.
Kaiden had multiple bone fractures. He was malnourished. His electrolyte levels were dangerously abnormal. And his urine tested positive for THC.
Two Parents Now Facing Serious Charges
The Atlanta Police Department’s Homicide Unit launched a full investigation. On August 6, both Hayes and Kennedi Ponder, 31 — identified by a relative as the children’s mother — were arrested without incident.
Hayes faces second-degree murder in addition to first-degree child cruelty charges. Ponder faces first-degree and second-degree child cruelty charges.
A family member broke the news on social media with words that carried the weight of unimaginable grief.
“There are no words deep enough for this kind of pain,” the relative wrote. “A piece of us is missing, and the silence left behind is unbearable.”
Both Hayes and Ponder are scheduled to appear in court on August 31 for their preliminary hearings.
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