On Sunday, October 26, authorities in Hall County, Georgia, responded to a scene that would shatter a community. In a crowded Sam’s Club parking lot in Oakwood, paramedics and law enforcement converged around a Nissan Sentra. Inside its trunk lay the lifeless body of a 4-year-old girl. The car was registered to 30-year-old Jessica Maria Motes, who would later confess to her father that she “hurt” the child—and ominously, “I think she is dead.”
Word of that chilling admission reached investigators quickly, triggering urgent involvement from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the Oakwood Police, and most notably the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The local agencies officially requested GBI’s assistance to lead the case.
According to the warrant obtained by news outlets, Motes drove the vehicle into the Sam’s Club lot and was later picked up by her father. It was during that meeting she reportedly uttered the incriminating statements about the child’s condition. Authorities then “encountered” law enforcement, though details are scarce about whether there was a formal arrest at that precise moment.
Later that evening, law enforcement descended on a residence on Couch Road in Flowery Branch, leading to a second crime scene. Neighbors reported seeing multiple patrol units and long periods of activity. While it’s not fully confirmed which scenes tie together, authorities suggest a connection between the Sam’s Club lot and the home on Couch Road.
At present, Motes faces a single felony charge: concealing the death of another person. The charge is for hiding the body rather than alleging a direct cause of death—though that may change depending on what the autopsy reveals.
Officials have not yet released the cause or manner of death. The autopsy remains pending, and investigators are gathering more forensic evidence, witness statements, and background on the family dynamics before releasing further public statements.
As the case unfolds, many in Hall County are left with questions: How did the little girl end up in that trunk? What relationship did she have with Motes or others in the household? And how could someone in her life speak of her possible demise with such detachment? These questions—and more—may find answers in the coming days, when the GBI and local agencies release new findings.
