Bloodied, Non-Verbal Child Found Wandering in Kennesaw; Parents Arrested, Father Dies After Hospital Treatment

A non-verbal six-year-old boy was found wandering in Kennesaw, Georgia, on Sept. 17 after being on the streets for more than 30 minutes. The child appeared malnourished and was reported by neighbors to police as bloodied and in distress, prompting an urgent domestic-incident response from city officers about 20 miles north of Atlanta. Authorities said the boy could not speak to officers, complicating initial attempts to determine what happened to him. The case immediately drew attention to the conditions under which the child had been living and what led him to be outside the home that day.

Police identified the child's mother as Brittany Anderson, 38, who was asleep when officers went to investigate the family residence. The father, Kaleb Anderson, 40, was taken into custody after the discovery of the boy. Investigators said both parents were heavily intoxicated at the time. A preliminary look at the scene described a home where urine odors lingered and trash and disarray covered floors and furniture. Officers also noted the child had injuries to his arm and leg, with bleeding that authorities could not determine whether it originated inside or outside the home.

The mother was charged with reckless conduct and cruelty to children, and the father faced the same charges. Shortly after his arrest, the father suffered a medical emergency and was transported to Kennestone Hospital, where he died days later. The medical examiner's office is continuing to determine the exact cause of death. The child was placed in the care of his grandmother, who arrived to collect him after police responded, and he is now safe in her custody.

Authorities cautioned that the investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details about the case were immediately released. A spokesperson said the forensic pathologist and investigators would review all aspects of the incident as they work to understand how the child ended up outside and what, if anything, those living with him could have done differently.

The case echoes a prior, separate incident in Kennesaw that drew attention to child welfare concerns in the area. In that earlier case, a pediatrician flagged signs of abuse on a four-month-old infant who was later found to have multiple rib and leg fractures. While the two cases are not connected, they highlight ongoing concerns about child neglect and safety in the region.

Georgia ranks 38th in the United States for child well-being, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. In 2020, Child Protective Services received 62,675 maltreatment reports involving 121,595 children in Georgia. Of those, 8,690 cases were substantiated and approximately 45,407 received an alternative response. Between 2020 and 2023, Georgia saw a 31 percent rise in official child maltreatment victim cases, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The current case adds to the broader national and state context in which child welfare agencies continue to address significant challenges in safeguarding vulnerable children.