Yesterday, October 17, 2025, Ariel Jamiyla Osbey (pictured) pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder and Making a False Statement to relation to the October 10, 2023 death of Imani Osbey, who was thirteen months old at the time.
On that day, the Defendant, 29 years old at the time, travelled to a Newton County residence to provide house cleaning services. She brought Imani with her but chose to leave her in the vehicle while she went into the home. The Defendant was in the home for approximately 5 hours while Imani remained in the vehicle in a rear facing car seat. After finishing her work at the residence, the Defendant got into her vehicle and left the neighborhood.
The Defendant travelled a short distance before calling 911 telling the operator that she was on the side of the road and that her daughter was nonresponsive. When deputies arrived she told them that her daughter had been sick and that she was traveling on Highway 162 when she noticed that Imani was not making any sounds or breathing. Imani was transported to Piedmont Newton where her internal temperature was noted to be 107 degrees. Imani was soon pronounced dead from hyperthermia.
While on scene, deputies noted that the inside of the Defendant’s vehicle was extremely hot with hot air blowing from the vents. Investigators located Imani’s zip-up hoodie on the floorboard of the vehicle and noted that it was very damp when touched.
The Defendant went to the hospital with Imani and was interviewed there by Newton County Sheriff’s Office investigators. The Defendant told investigators that Imani had gone into the home with her. However, Investigators obtained surveillance footage from the residence that clearly showed this was not true. The same camera, which, like most surveillance cameras, is motion activated, did not show the Defendant coming out of the house to check on Imani at all.
A Newton County Grand Jury indicted Ms. Osbey on December 1, 2023. The case then proceeded through the court system with a significant amount of time waiting on the completion of a court ordered (at the defense request) mental health evaluation of the Defendant.
On October 17, 2025, the Defendant entered a non-negotiated guilty plea. Such a plea means that both the State and the defense provide the Court with their recommended sentence and argument for the appropriateness of their position. The court then sentences the defendant as allowed by law.
During the sentencing hearing the Court heard from both sides including witnesses on behalf of the Defendant and the Defendant, herself. The defense asked the Court to sentence her to only 10 years on probation. The Court sentenced the Defendant to 35 years with the first 20 years in prison with the remainder on probation. Once released from custody, the Defendant may not have unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16 and must obtain mental health treatment.
Second Degree Murder, in Georgia, ONLY applies when a defendant causes the death of a child under the age of 18 through the commission of Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree. That offense is committed when someone with criminal negligence causes cruel or excessive physical or mental pain to a child. Therefore, Second Degree Murder is essentially causing the death of a child through criminal negligence, not with malice or intentionally.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Evan Hansinger, Chief Investigator Kelly Whire, Senior Victim Advocate Shay Payne, Trial Assistant Ellen Bales, and Legal Assistant Lila Geiger. The investigation was handled by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from local EMS, Piedmont Newton Hospital, and the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.
Any death of a child is heartbreaking. Imani’s death was not only preventable, but also criminal. The Defendant chose to leave her 13-month-old child in a hot car for hours. Sadly, a short internet search will show that this still occurs far too often. I hope this case will serve as a reminder to anyone reading this to never let this happen.
I want to commend the first responders who responded to a call involving the death of a child and the prosecution and investigators that handled the case. They have an incredibly hard job and situations like this will be something they will never forget.
Randy McGinley
District Attorney
Alcovy Judicial Circuit
