Mother and Boyfriend Charged After 2-Year-Old Boy Dies

A Toddler’s Death Leads to Two Arrests

An 18-year-old Georgia mother and her live-in boyfriend now face murder-related charges after her 2-year-old son died following an emergency at their Canton home earlier this month.

Canton police said officers were called to a residence on Cartersville Street at about 11:30 a.m. on August 3 after receiving a report that the child was unresponsive. Officers and medics attempted to help him, and the toddler was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The death has since become an active criminal case involving allegations against both adults who lived in the home.

The Boyfriend Was Arrested First

Police initially arrested 22-year-old Celso Edison Vicente Y Vicente on the day the child died.

He was charged with malice murder and first-degree cruelty to children and was taken to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center, according to police reporting cited by People.

Authorities allege Vicente Y Vicente had been responsible for watching the toddler that day. Court-warrant allegations reported by People accuse him of physically assaulting the child.

Those allegations have not been proven in court, and Vicente Y Vicente is presumed innocent unless convicted.

Police have deliberately limited the amount of evidence they are releasing because the victim was a child and criminal proceedings are pending.

The Child’s Mother Is Charged Weeks Later

More than two weeks after her son’s death, police arrested the toddler’s mother, Devorah Diaz Perez.

Canton police said detectives interviewed Diaz Perez before investigators and the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office determined there was probable cause to charge her with second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree cruelty to children and three counts of reckless conduct.

CBS Atlanta reported that Diaz Perez was being held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

Police have not publicly explained the specific evidence that led them to seek the second-degree murder charge against her.

That distinction matters. The available reporting establishes the charges but does not establish that Diaz Perez personally inflicted the injuries investigators attribute to Vicente Y Vicente.

A Case Centered on a Child Who Was at Home

The emotional center of the case is a 2-year-old boy who was inside the place where children are supposed to be most protected.

His name has not been widely released in the reporting cited here, and police have said they are withholding additional details because the case involves a juvenile victim.

Canton Police Chief Marty Ferrell described the death of a child as heartbreaking and said detectives remained committed to carrying out a thorough investigation while protecting the integrity of the case.

An autopsy through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner’s Office was expected to determine the official cause and manner of death.

The Investigation Is Still Active

Neither defendant has been convicted, and many details about what happened inside the home remain unresolved publicly.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and have not disclosed all of the evidence behind the charges.

For the toddler’s family and the surrounding Canton community, the criminal process now begins against the backdrop of a child’s death.

Cases involving very young victims carry a particular weight because children depend almost entirely on adults for their safety. Here, investigators are now asking the courts to examine the conduct of two adults who shared the home where the boy died.

Whatever the eventual outcome of those proceedings, one fact is already beyond dispute: a 2-year-old child is gone, and the adults who were part of his household now face extraordinarily serious accusations.

References: Mother Charged in 2-Year-Old Son’s Death After Boyfriend Allegedly Severely Beat Toddler | Second Arrest in Death Investigation of Two-Year-Old Child | Cherokee County mother 2nd person charged with murder in death of 2-year-old son, police say