Mother tells police missing girl was dead for weeks, body stored in bags

Aug 14, 2023

Jaylon Hobson and Brittany Jackson have been charged in connection with the death of Jackson’s 4-year-old child. (SCSO)

by: David Royer, Jordan James

Posted: Jun 16, 2023 / 01:40 PM CDT

Updated: Jun 16, 2023 / 01:39 PM CDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — The mother of a 4-year-old initially reported missing on Thursday allegedly confessed to Memphis police that the girl had actually been dead for weeks, claiming her boyfriend attacked her and that she and her boyfriend stored the child’s body in garbage bags in their house.

This is according to a police statement dated 8:14 a.m. Friday, a day after police combed a North Memphis neighborhood looking for Sequoia Samuels.

Human remains were found nearby, and Memphis Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation called off the search Friday.

The child’s mother, Brittany Jackson, is charged with aggravated child abuse-neglect, abuse of a corpse and false offense report. Jaylon Hobson, Jackson’s boyfriend, is charged with false offense report.

The search for Sequoia Samuels began Thursday when she was reported missing from her home on Caldwell Avenue in North Memphis.

The 4-year-old with a feeding tube allegedly was last seen on security camera footage the night before, walking out of her house.

Jackson, the child’s mother, told police Thursday that she was at home at 247 Caldwell with Hobson, her live-in boyfriend, along with Sequoia. Jackson’s 5-year-old son and two of Hobson’s juvenile relatives, ages 6 and 4, were also in the house.

She said she last saw Sequoia around 11:45 p.m. when she gave her a drink of water and put her to bed. She said she fell asleep on the couch and Hobson later fell asleep with her.

When she woke up and recharged her dead phone, she said she found text messages from her aunt, stating, “The front door is open.” That’s when she said she realized Sequoia was missing and called Memphis Police.

However, Friday’s document states that Jackson was later interviewed by the Homicide Bureau, and she told them she had given a false statement.

According to the mother’s statement to police, Hobson had physically attacked Sequoia multiple times in the previous weeks. After the last attack, the child was left unconscious; Hobson was unable to revive her and Jackson allegedly admitted she did not render aid, according to the document.

Hobson then allegedly put the child’s body into several garbage bags, which they stored in the house until Thursday.

“Jackson maintained the corpse for several weeks” until the bags were dumped in a garbage container with other garbage cans outside the apartment, the statement reads.

Police executed a search warrant with the medical examiner at 249 Caldwell Avenue, and collected the deceased child’s remains, the documents state. Those remains are believed to belong to Sequoia, and clothing found with the remains matches a description from the mother, police said.

Hobson denied his involvement in the child’s death, police said.

Shelby County court records show Hobson had active charges from a separate case in May.

According to documents in that case, he and Jackson were arrested on May 6 at an apartment complex on Mimosa Avenue. Hobson was allegedly found with six guns in a car and a green leafy substance in his pocket that tested positive for THC, police said. Jackson was allegedly in the car with him.

Hobson was charged with criminal trespass, possession of marijuana and prohibited weapons. Among the charges, he was accused of having a weapon with an automatic switch, as well as another weapon described as a 3D computer-generated “ghost gun.”

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.