Mother sentenced to prison in death of missing Vienna child

Prosecutors say the child died in 2021 while in his mother’s care, and his remains were later found in Cordele.

VIENNA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A case first reported by 41NBC in January 2022 involving a missing 4-year-old boy from Vienna has now ended with his mother sentenced to prison.

District Attorney Brad Rigby announced Wednesday that Keara Sade Cotton, now 31, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of her son, Jayceion Mathis.

In January 2022, 41NBC reported that Jayceion had been missing for several months and that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was searching for both the child and Cotton after family members said they had not seen him. At the time, authorities said Jayceion lived with his mother in Vienna, and investigators were unable to locate either of them.

According to the district attorney’s office, Jayceion died in November 2021 while in Cotton’s care. Investigators said the Department of Family and Children Services had tried unsuccessfully for months to make contact with Cotton and her child. Law enforcement later became involved after concerns were raised about the child’s welfare.

Prosecutors said Cotton left her Dooly County home and traveled through several cities before discarding Jayceion’s remains in Cordele. Due to the condition of the remains, the medical examiner was unable to determine an exact cause of death.

Rigby said Cotton entered her guilty plea on her son’s birthday.