It began on a quiet Sunday morning in Riverdale, Georgia. At 8:18 a.m. on October 12, 2025, police were called to 100 Valley Hill Road after Antonio Pearce reported he had been robbed at gunpoint. He said that his six-month-old son, Nnakai Pratt, had been snatched from his car seat by the assailants, who then fled. What followed would unravel into a heartbreaking tragedy.
Pearce told investigators that he had stored large amounts of cash and marijuana in a nearby apartment he referred to as his “stash house,” and that the robbers made off with about $6,000 and three pounds of marijuana along with his child. He also claimed that at the time of the alleged crime, his twin sister, their mother, and the infant’s mother, Necolette Pratt, were present. But as familiar with details as he seemed, his narrative began to fracture under closer scrutiny.
Detectives grew uneasy when key components of Pearce’s story didn’t align with forensic or eyewitness evidence. Searches of the apartment complex, canvassing of neighbors, and surveillance efforts failed to corroborate his version of events. On October 14, their worst fears were confirmed: baby Nnakai’s body was found in a wooded backyard near the apartment complex. An autopsy is expected to reveal the cause of death. — identities were confirmed by the County Medical Examiner.
When they moved in to arrest Pearce, they also placed Necolette Pratt, the child’s mother, under custody. Jail records indicate she is now facing charges including obstruction of an officer, making false statements, and being party to the commission of a crime. Meanwhile, Pearce’s charges rapidly multiplied. What began with drug and traffic charges has escalated into an array of serious accusations: malice murder, cruelty to children, aggravated assault and battery, tampering with evidence, concealing a death, illegal disposal of a body, and false reporting of a crime.
At his bond hearing, the judge denied him bail, citing his contradictory statements and the severity of the charges. “You provided conflicting stories and admitted to falsifying material facts,” the presiding magistrate said. His legal team has yet to be confirmed in court records.
The family’s surviving twin—Nnakai’s sister—was removed from the mother’s custody and placed under protective care. Authorities are continuing to weigh whether and how Necolette Pratt may have been involved, though as of now she has not been charged in connection with Nnakai’s death. The community is reeling, neighbors saying they never heard cries or signs of a disturbance, and lamenting how such a tragedy could unfold in a space people thought was safe.
As the investigation presses on, all eyes remain on the courts, the lab results, and every piece of evidence that may explain how a man’s claim of robbery and kidnapping turned into one of the most heartbreaking child homicide cases in Georgia in recent memory.
