According to a press release issued by Toombs County Sheriff Jordan Kight, on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Taylor Marie Hughes entered a guilty plea in Toombs County Superior Court for the death of her four-year-old daughter, Reese Carter Hughes, who died on March 14, 2025.
The Toombs County investigation revealed that Hughes failed to protect little Reese from physical abuse inflicted by her boyfriend, Seth Brown, and failed to get the child prompt medical attention. Prior to her plea, Hughes provided critical information to investigators and has agreed to testify against Brown in his upcoming trial.
Chief Judge Robert Reeves accepted Hughes’s guilty plea to one count of Felony Murder and two counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree. She was sentenced to life imprisonment plus twenty concurrent.
Toombs Conty deputies worked alongside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 12 Office and the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office throughout this investigation. “We remain committed to seeking justice for Reese and holding all responsible parties accountable,” stated Sheriff Kight.
The prosecution of co-defendant Seth Brown is ongoing.