Local & State Headlines

Police: Child was killed

• Three-year-old Shondarious Roney died Friday after first responders reportedly found him in a bath tub.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY – Investigators now believe the death of a boy who police initially thought drowned at a South Albany home Friday was a homicide murdered, authorities say.

Three-year-old Shondarious Roney died at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital after first responders reportedly found him in a bathtub at a home on the 2200 block of South Jackson Avenue around 10 a.m. Friday morning.

After reviewing information from Roney’s autopsy, Assistant District Attorney and head of the county’s Child Fatalitiy Investigative Unit Chris Cohilas said Saturday that the initial report that the child drowned is supported by the findings from the lab.

“This is now a homicide investigation,” Cohilas said. ”We do have a suspect but we’re tying some loose ends and expect to release more information soon.”

According to police reports, EMS units and police officers responded to the home in reference to a possible drowning. Upon arrival, they found Roney in the bathtub of the house.

Vincent Soilberry, the boyfriend of the child’s mother and the only person who was with him when emergency officials were called according to police reports, told police that he was giving the child a bath when he stepped away to clean up a mess in another part of the apartment. When he returned, he said he found Roney struggling to breath and called for help.

Later that day, Soilberry was arrested by police on an unrelated criminal trespass warrant. He is being held at the Dougherty County Jail without bond and investigators have NOT said if they believe he had any connection with Roney’s death.

While Roney’s cause of death hasn’t been announced by investigators, medical officials did say that there was evidence of bruising on Roney when he was taken to the hospital, according to police reports.

More Headlines>>