Investigation Underway After 1-Year-Old Valdosta Child Dies with Injuries

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has launched an investigation into the death of one-year-old Ry’cari Garfield of Valdosta, following a request from the Dawson Police Department. The child was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive with numerous injuries.

On Saturday, June 14, 2025, at approximately 7:10 p.m., Terrell County 911 received a call about an unresponsive child in the 500 block of Nelson Street NE. EMS and Dawson Police Department officers responded to the scene.

Ry’cari Garfield was initially transported to Phoebe Putney Hospital. There, hospital staff discovered that the child had sustained numerous injuries. Garfield was then airlifted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, for further treatment, but was later pronounced deceased.

An autopsy will be conducted in Florida to determine the cause and manner of death.

As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with Ry’cari Garfield’s death. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Sylvester at 229-777-2080 or the Dawson Police Department at 229-995-4414. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Pataula District Attorney’s Office.