Suspect in Macon baby’s death was supposed to be on house arrest. What happened?

A 24-year-old was supposed to be on house arrest in Kathleen when he allegedly killed his girlfriend’s baby in Macon, according to police and court records.

Willie George Northern Jr. was reportedly taking care of Myles Walker, a 6-month-old, while his girlfriend was at work, according to an incident report that described Bibb County deputies’ account of what happened. Northern and Walker were at Walker’s home Sunday night on Fairmont Avenue in Macon.

Northern told deputies he “fed, swaddled, then laid the infant to rest” on an air mattress on top of a blanket, then Northern apparently took a shower, according to the incident report and a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

But when he returned from the shower, “he observed Myles laying face down in the bedding” and called 911 to report the boy “was having difficulty breathing” around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the incident report and news release said. The baby died Tuesday.

Deputies met the infant’s mother soon after while she was at work in Macon, and she was taken to a hospital where Walker was being treated.

Northern was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree cruelty to children and tampering with evidence, then also charged with murder when the boy died from severe injuries Tuesday at a hospital, according to a BCSO news release and a log of detainees at the Bibb County Jail.

The circumstances of the baby’s death were considered domestic violence, according to the incident report. Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones told The Telegraph he was unsure if Walker had visible injuries and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will perform an autopsy on him Friday morning.

“This was not (Northern’s) first time watching Myles since he (had) been with (his girlfriend) since 2025,” the report said.

Why murder suspect was supposed to be on house arrest

The incident report said Walker lived at the Macon residence where the incident happened, but Northern lived on Dowdy Lane in Kathleen, where he was previously ordered to be on home confinement, court records show.

Northern was previously indicted on charges of robbery and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, according to Houston County Superior Court records. He pleaded not guilty to those charges on Feb. 4, 2025.

He had been booked in the Houston County Jail on Nov. 2, 2024, in relation to those charges, but was granted bond under certain conditions, court records show.

Superior Court Judge Edward D. Lukemire granted him a $50,000 bond on Jan. 7, 2025, with “electronic monitoring with no exception (and) no contact, direct or indirect, with alleged victim or with the co-defendant,” a court order said.

The alleged robbery was unrelated to Walker and his mother.

This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 12:27 PM.