Two Women Arrested in Atlanta After 4-Year-Old Cobee Cooks Found Dead Inside Closet
Atlanta police discovered the body of four-year-old Cobee Cooks hidden beneath a pile of clothes inside an apartment closet on October 26. Two women, Jasmaine Smoak and Jasmine Jenkins, now face murder and child cruelty charges as family members recall previous reports made to welfare authorities.
Authorities in Atlanta have arrested two women following the death of four-year-old Cobee Cooks, whose body was discovered hidden inside a bedroom closet beneath a pile of clothing during an evening welfare check.
Officers with the Atlanta Police Department arrived alongside the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department at a home located at 3507 Cardinal Drive SW at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Monday, October 26, according to police records cited by The Shade Room. Emergency responders were forced to breach the entrance to access the residence. Once inside, officers located the young boy unresponsive inside the closet. Medical personnel pronounced him deceased directly at the scene.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office evaluated the child and officially ruled his death a homicide resulting from blunt force trauma. According to investigative reports cited by 11 Alive News, the child sustained severe internal injuries, including a lacerated spleen, a lacerated liver, contusions to his diaphragm, and contusions to his right kidney. Medical examiners documented at least 20 distinct injuries across his body, including broken bones, burns, and wounds to his head, face, ears, chest, legs, arms, and buttocks. Reporting from Fox 5 Atlanta indicated that the child had been deceased for an estimated 12 to 24 hours prior to discovery.
Investigators subsequently arrested 32-year-old Jasmaine Smoak, who had reportedly been acting as the caregiver for the victim and his brother while their biological mother was incarcerated. Prior to law enforcement's arrival at the residence, Smoak allegedly fled the area in a white Mercedes-Benz with Cobee's five-year-old brother, Kayden, and two 10-year-old children. Deputies with the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office tracked the vehicle to a home in Washington, Georgia, where they arrested Smoak and recovered the children.
Kayden was located with severe physical injuries, including facial bruising, a laceration over his eye, and signs of severe malnourishment, according to reporting from local outlets. He was transported to a medical facility in Augusta, where he was listed in critical condition. Authorities booked Smoak on multiple charges, including murder, concealing the death of another, aggravated assault, first-degree cruelty to children, and second-degree cruelty to children.
A second suspect, 30-year-old Jasmine Jenkins, who had been residing at the address with Smoak, was apprehended on Thursday, October 29, by the Atlanta Police Department Fugitive Unit and the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office. Jenkins faces charges of murder and first-degree cruelty to children as a party to the crime.
According to reporting by Fox 5 Atlanta, emergency calls originated after Smoak contacted her father claiming a child was unresponsive after ingesting medication, leading her father to contact 911. Investigators also alleged that Smoak and Jenkins had left the children unattended on Sunday, October 25.
Family acquaintances stated that warning signs were repeatedly brought to state authorities prior to the tragedy. Destyne Akoon, a family friend, told Fox 5 Atlanta that reports regarding alleged abuse involving the household were filed with the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services multiple times throughout late 2025, including an emergency referral submitted by the children's father shortly before the fatal discovery.