GBI arrests Coffee County man in child death investigation

On Monday, May 1, 2023, the GBI arrested and charged Stephen Edward Walker, 37, of Douglas, Georgia with Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree related to the death of an eight-month-old child in his care.

On Sunday, April 30, 2023, the GBI Region 4 Douglas Office was requested by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office after they responded to a 911 call regarding the eight-month-old not breathing. Walker was initially taken into custody due to a probation violation arrest warrant and subsequently charged in this investigation. Walker was booked into the Coffee County Jail where he remains. The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Decatur, Georgia, will complete an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review and potential prosecution.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Region 4 Douglas Office at (912) 389-4103, or the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office at (912) 384-4227.  Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.