After a man allegedly ran from a Georgia police officer during a traffic stop, his baby girl was found dead in the backseat of the vehicle, according to authorities.
The Greenville Police Department later located and arrested the baby’s father, identified as Cameron Reese, 22, on Wednesday, the department said in a phone interview with McClatchy.
Reese has been charged with concealing a death and aggravated assault. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate the death of 10-month-old Ayla Reeves, police said.
At about 11:15 a.m. that morning, a Greenville officer found Reese was traveling 57 mph in a 35 mph zone. According to police, Reese continued to accelerate and fled from the officer until he was eventually stopped.
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That’s when Reese allegedly got out of the vehicle and ran into nearby woods. The officer looked inside the vehicle Reese had been in and found the infant on the floorboard of the backseat, Greenville police told McClatchy.
The officer immediately began performing CPR on the baby, but police said she was “cold to the touch and unresponsive.”
According to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, her cause of death is still being determined.
Before Reese was pulled over, he contacted Ayla’s mother, 19-year-old Nikia Reeves, and told her she was not breathing, the release says. When Reeves arrived at their apartment, investigators say “she grew suspicious” of his behavior.
When the three left the home and got inside a car, Reeves asked Reese about a mark under their baby’s eye, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says.
“During the encounter, Cameron Reese pulls out a steak knife and Nikia Reeves jumps out of the vehicle, sustaining severe road rash,” the release states.
Not long after, the Meriwether Sheriff’s Office received a report of a stolen baby.
Police said a canine tracked Reese to an apartment where he was eventually found and arrested.
Michaela Broyles: 843-626-0281, @MichaelaBroyles
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