Family says toddler found dead in Perry was left in unsafe place by child services

The family of a 2-year-old girl who was found dead in a trailer park on April 4 alleges the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services placed the child in an unsafe home that contributed to her death.

A’Layah Joyner was found dead in a Perry trailer with three other people: Beaulah Robinson, 82; Michelle Joiner, 51; and Tuquondea Robinson, 37. Police are investigating the incident as a homicide and named a person of interest, Michael James Jordan, who is in custody at the Houston County Detention Center on charges of aggravated stalking, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and a violation of probation. He hasn’t yet been charged with the murders.

A’Layah’s aunt, Teresa Fears, and her godmother, Connie Braswell, said DFCS put A’Layah in an unsafe situation after her mother was arrested and lost custody of her.

Braswell said she and Fears gave their names to DFCS following the arrest and expressed interest in taking custody of A’Layah. However, they felt DFCS case workers did not take proper care with her situation.

Fears said that shortly after A’Layah’s mother was arrested, she reached out to DFCS about taking custody of her. She and Braswell frequently took care of the child, they said, and felt that placing her with Fears, a relative she was close with, would ensure her safety.

“I remember she was extremely dismissive and rude to me,” Fears said of a worker there.

Fears said the worker indicated the department “already had somebody” to take A’Layah and promised to call back. The call never came, and Fears found out through Braswell that A’Layah was instead placed with her father’s cousins — the three other people found dead alongside Joyner in the trailer park. Fears and Braswell said A’Layah had never met any of the relatives prior to her going to live with them.

Braswell emphasized that she and Fears understand DFCS handles a large case load, but want more clarity on why A’Layah was placed with relatives she was unfamiliar with.

“We know DFCS has a big job and many families they provide for, but we were just not heard,” Braswell said.

According to a 2023 report by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, the Georgia Department of Human Services, which oversees DFCS, lost about 16% of its total workforce between 2017 and 2022.

Additionally, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff revealed during a 2023 probe into the safety of foster children in Georgia that DFCS only met its risk assessment and safety management obligations about 16% of the time.

High turnover and understaffing within agencies that oversee child welfare can have devastating impacts on children and families, according to a 2022 report by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, a nonprofit that studies the child welfare system. Systems across America are seeing workers taking on larger case loads, meaning fewer time and resources are devoted to individual children and families.

The 2023 probe Ossoff led, which ended up lasting about 13 months, drew similar conclusions about Georgia’s system.

A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to The Telegraph that while it cannot disclose specific details behind the decision regarding A’Layah’s custody due to privacy reasons, state law dictates children in its custody must be placed with “vetted caregivers, ideally with relatives – particularly siblings – in their home communities or nearby.”

A juvenile court judge must also approve placement decisions.

“It would be unlawful to place a child in our care with an unvetted, non-relative adult, and it would be traumatic to place a child far from their loved ones if we could identify a better option in their hometown,” the department said.

Fears lives in Lawrenceville, while Braswell lives in Florida after moving there last year from Warner Robins. A’Layah lived with her mother in Warner Robins at the time of her arrest.

According to the Perry Police Department, Jordan — the man identified as a person of interest in the case — is believed to have known the family.

Jordan was in a relationship with Tuquondea Robinson, one of the women killed alongside A’Layah, and was arrested in August 2023 on a battery charge against her. He was arrested again the following month for misdemeanor battery, also against Robinson, according to court records and police.

Jordan was released on bond shortly after, but violated his bond requirements in September 2023 by returning to the apartment where he and Robinson lived together in Warner Robins and banging on the door, court records say.

Police arrested Jordan again and he was indicted in October 2023 on the aggravated stalking charge, court records show.

Jordan also had two prior felony convictions including damage to property in 2016 and burglary in 2013, both in Macon County, according to court records.

DFCS said in a statement that it takes care to consult parents, attorneys, judges, foster parents and service providers when determining where to place a child.

“The system has strong checks and balances. Ultimately, a juvenile court judge must approve placement decisions involving children in our custody,” the statement said. “We do not make those calls unilaterally, as their parents, guardians ad litem, and advocates involved in the children’s lives have opportunities to provide feedback throughout the process.”

Braswell and Fears both said that while they empathize with the challenges DFCS faces, they feel A’Layah’s death was preventable.

“My niece would be alive if they had done their research, done their investigation, done their due diligence,” Fears said.

Braswell said she remembers A’Layah as a kind and happy child. A’Layah’s shampoo bottles still sit in a shower in her house, and every time she sees them she feels the pain of her loss all over again.

“She was just the perfect baby,” Braswell said.

DFCS and DHS acknowledged the death, writing in a statement that they have “fully partnered” with authorities.

“We are heartbroken over the loss of this beautiful little girl,” the statement said.

A GoFundMe launched by the family to cover funeral expenses and assist A’Layah’s mother has raised more than $5,000. The goal is $10,000.

This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM.