A juvenile court confirmed on Wednesday that it declined the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services’ request to remove a 4-year-old girl from her mother’s custody almost a year before her death.
Shelby County Juvenile Court told WATN that the agency filed a neglect petition regarding Sequoia Samuels in February 2022, but it dismissed it in July. The court declined to disclose why it denied the petition.
Sequoia Samuels’ mother, Brittany Jackson, allegedly admitted that her daughter died weeks before she and her live-in boyfriend, Jaylon Hobson, reported her missing. Memphis police found Samuels in a garbage container outside her home on June 13.
Jackson allegedly confessed that Samuels did not wander off because the front door was open. According to reports, the mother said Hobson fatally attacked her weeks earlier and that they kept her body in bags in their home before moving her outside, where she was found.
DCS has confirmed its prior involvement with the family, but the agency did not provide additional information due to privacy concerns.
Jackson reportedly told cops that she did not provide aid to her daughter after Hobson could not revive her. Hobson has denied involvement in Samuels’ death.
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Jackson was charged with child neglect, abuse of a corpse, and false reporting. Hobson was charged with false reporting. Jackson remains jailed on a $500,000 bond. WHBQ reported that Hobson’s bond was revoked due to a pending weapons charge, which is unrelated to this case.
Hobson’s attorney said he expects a murder charge in the coming days.
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[Featured image: Sequoia Samuels/Memphis Police Department; Brittany Jackson, Jaylon Hobson/Shelby County Sheriff’s Office]
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