Grand Jury Indicts Four for Murder, Child Cruelty

The Toombs County Grand Jury reconvened on Tuesday, April 22, and returned 9 true bills of indictment, one of which dealt with the recent child abuse case that led to the death of 4-year-old Reese Hughes.

Seth Hunter Brown and Taylor Marie Hughes were each indicted on two counts of malice murder and two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.– one for each body part (abdomen and head) which was struck during the incident. The couple also were charged with four counts of felony murder – a count each for “maliciously causing cruel and excessive physical pain by striking the child” in the head and abdomen, and a count each for harming the child’s brain and intestines, ultimately leading to her death. Two additional counts of aggravated battery were also charged to the continued from page

couple because of these injuries.

On Friday, March 14, at around 7:45 p.m., Toombs County 911 Dispatch received a call about an unresponsive child. The caller shared that they were driving to the emergency room from their residence with the child and needed an ambulance to meet them on the route.

The child was later identified as 4-year-old Reese Hughes. Toombs-Montgomery EMS met the caller and Reese at the Enmarket in Lyons, located at the intersection of West Liberty Street and South Victory Drive, where they immediately took Reese and began working to try to save her life. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the Memorial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia.

Toombs County Sheriff Jordan Kight requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 12 Office to probe the case. Through the investigation, suspicion arose that Reese was beaten to death, which led to the arrest of her mother, Taylor Marie Hughes, 29, of Lyons, and Taylor Hughes’s boyfriend Seth Hunter Brown, 26, of Lyons.

The couple both went before Chief Middle Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Robert Reeves for their first appearance in court on Monday, March 17, where Judge Reeves informed the pair that bond would not be considered at the current time. Hughes requested a court-appointed attorney while Brown stated he would hire his own counsel, and with no further business to attend, the hearing was adjourned.

After the hearing, Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tripp Fitzner stated that investigators were working to get the case to be reviewed by the Toombs County Grand Jury as quickly as possible, because if an indictment is not presented within 90 days, the suspects would be offered bond. Toombs County Sheriff Jordan Kight commented on the indictment, stating, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all my staff, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and District Attorney Tripp Fitzner and his staff for working tirelessly on this case. The fact that Brown and Hughes have been indicted of these charges 39 days after their arrest is a true testament to the unwavering dedication and teamwork of the Sheriff’s Office, GBI, and the District Attorney’s Office.”

Brown and Hughes will now begin the process of entering a formal plea to the court to determine their next steps in the judicial process. Daycare Worker Indicted

Former Step By Step Learning Center Employee Nicole Kathleen Cabrera was indicted by the Toombs County Grand Jury and was charged with 9 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree and 3 counts of aggravated battery.

According to the indictment, these offenses occurred on November 28, 2023. The issue was discovered after families began noticing bumps and other marks on their babies’ heads after picking them up, and spoke with the daycare about the issue. The facility shared that Cabrera had been terminated from employment. Recognizing the severity of the situation, these families then reached out to law enforcement, notifying them of the suspected cruelty.

Cabrera was arrested at her home in Collins on Wednesday, December 27, but was later released on bond.

She is accused of several incidents of child cruelty, including forcefully shoving two children in chairs, forcefully “snatching [a child] off the ground and slamming [them] down,” forcefully “snatching a child off the floor by [their] arm and slamming [them] down,” “snatching a child off a changing table and dropping [them] to the floor,” “forcefully shoving a child off the floor and slamming them down,” and “snatching a child out a chair by [their] arm and throwing [them] onto the floor.” She is also accused of leaving three children in infant swings, beds, or bouncer seats for extended periods of time, causing one child to suffer skull deformities and two other children to have skull disfigurations.

Cabrera will now enter a formal plea into the court to determine whether she will face trial or sentencing.

Murder Indictment

Tobias Ke’Vion Bell was indicted for the 2021 murder of Matthew Williams- Jacobs.

On December 18, 2021, Matthew Williams-Jacobs, age 21, was found severely wounded near Tammy’s Do Drop In on Orange Street after police received reports of gunshots in the area of Thompson Street and West Jenkins Street. Jacobs was taken to Memorial Health Meadows Hospital for immediate treatment for a gunshot wound and transferred to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The Vidalia Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation probed the incident. Bell was arrested on December 31, 2021, by members of the United States Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office.

Bell is charged with one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony. He will now enter a formal plea to the court to decide his next steps in the judicial process.

Health Department Burglary Indictment

Destiny Shianne Gilchriest was indicted and charged with interference with government property, criminal damage to property in the second degree, and burglary in the second degree for her actions on July 18, 2023.

Gilchriest is accused of breaking a window and damaging equipment within the Toombs County Health Department. The damages cost over $500 to repair.

Gilchriest will now enter a formal plea to the court to determine her next steps within the judicial process.

Other Indictments

In addition to these indictments, other individuals charged included: • Martez Ray Walker Jr. – rape; aggravated assault • Francesca Latori Blaine – willful obstruction of an officer (2 counts) • Benjamin Elloit Stan field – aggravated assault (2 counts) • Charleston Dwayne Victoria – possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; possession of a firearm during commission of a felony; theft by receiving stolen property • Marteanna Unique Smith – possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; possession of a firearm during commission of a felony; theft by receiving stolen property These individuals will now submit a plea to the court to determine whether they go to trial or sentencing.

Taylor Marie Hughes

Tobias Ke’vion Bell

Nicole Kathleen Cabrera