A Georgia father came home to every parent’s worst nightmare last weekend when his young daughter had vanished from her bedroom, sparking a frantic search that ended in tragedy.
First responders encountered Jayde Wooten, 4, receiving CPR in the driveway of her parent’s Macon, Georgia home on the 1200 Block of Rocky Creek Road just before 2.00pm, according to an incident report.
Jayde’s father, Maleek, told a deputy that he had just arrived home when he realized his daughter was not in her room, WGXA reported.
He then rushed to Jayde’s mother, Jordenn Jones-Wooten, who told him she had last seen the 4-year-old eating in the kitchen before falling asleep.
Maleek told the deputy he ‘frantically’ checked every room in the house but couldn’t find her, so he went to look outside and ask neighbors whether they had seen Jayde, according to WGXA.
He heard Jayde’s mother suddenly scream, and ran back inside where he found their child upside down in their bathroom garbage can, which was filled with water and fish, incident reports obtained by WGXA stated.
Puddles of water trickled from the front door, according to the outlet.
Maleek pulled his daughter out of the container and rushed her outside, desperately looking for help.
Jayde Wootsen, 4, died after she was found upside down inside a garbage can filled with water and fish
Her parents received help from neighbors who performed CPR on the girl but Jayden was pronounced dead in the hospital later that day
Her family set up an online fundraiser asking for support: ‘Any kindness shared through this fundraiser will help ease some of the financial burden during an incredibly painful time’
A neighbor told the deputy that Jayde’s mother was also seeking help and approached her home.
She and another neighbor reportedly took turns performing CPR until Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived.
One neighbor told the deputy that Jayde expelled fluid from her mouth and briefly opened her eyes during CPR. The neighbor then turned the kid onto her side to clear her airway.
The second neighbor told the deputy she could not detect a pulse while performing CPR, according to documents reviewed by WGXA.
Emergency personnel brought Jayde to a medical facility, where medical staff later pronounced her dead, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Jayde’s autopsy results remained pending as of Saturday night.
A GoFundMe set up by Jayden’s family described her death as a ‘horrible accident.’
The fundraiser is aimed to cover funeral costs and support the parents in the coming months.
‘No parent should ever have to face this kind of pain,’ the fundraiser stated.
Jordenn Jones-Wooten and Maleek Wooten experienced every parent’s worst nightmare
Jordenn wrote in a Facebook post: ‘I don’t know how to explain the emptiness, the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, or the moments when it still doesn’t feel real’
The results of Jayden’s autopsy remained pending as of Saturday night as the official cause of her death is yet to be determined
The Jones County School System stated they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the loss of one of its Pre-Kingerdaten students.
It also shared thoughts and prayers for the student’s family, friends, classmates, and ‘all who loved them.’
In a Wendesday post, two days before deleting Facebook, Jordenn publicly shared her thoughts: ‘Please stop asking me if I’m okay. I know you mean well. I know you’re asking because you care.
‘But the truth is, I’m not okay. I lost my 4-year-old. My baby. My child. And there is no version of “okay” that exists for me right now.
‘I don’t know how to put into words what it feels like to wake up and remember that my daughter is gone. I don’t know how to explain the emptiness, the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, or the moments when it still doesn’t feel real.
‘I don’t need anyone to fix this, because this isn’t something anyone can fix. I just need to be allowed to grieve my little girl without having to pretend that I’m okay.’
The Daily Mail reached out to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the investigation.
