Body found in garbage bags belongs to small child; suspect charged with capital murder

An autopsy of a badly decomposed body found in a garbage bags last week confirm the remains belong to a small child.

Meridian, Miss., police found the bags Wednesday, Sept. 11, after Celeste Louise Smith, 35, directed officers to the scene in a house basement, reports The Meridian Star.

An autopsy showed the child suffered cracked and broken ribs on both sides and burns.

Smith has been charged with capital murder and child neglect. She was denied bond on the murder charge.

Jakie Toole, 5, a special needs child, had been in Smith’s care, the paper reports. Toole has not been seen since April; however, he was only reported missing Sept. 4. A DNA test has been conducted but may take weeks to verify that the body found is Toole’s.

It is not clear at this time why Toole’s mother did not report her child missing for five months.