Blackshear Parents Charged in 2022 Death of Infant Child

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested and charged 41-year-old Dustin Sauls and 36-year-old Cierra Chancey, both of Blackshear, with one count of Concealing the Death of Another and one count of Possession of Cocaine in connection to the 2022 death of their 6-month-old child.

The Baxley Police Department originally requested GBI assistance on September 28, 2022, after receiving information regarding the child’s death. Initial findings indicated that Sauls and Chancey delayed reporting the death and were in possession of a substance later confirmed to be cocaine at the time of the incident.

An autopsy of the child was conducted at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler, Georgia.

Following the investigation, Sauls and Chancey were taken into custody without incident on May 30, 2025. Both were booked into the Appling County Jail.

The GBI thanked the Baxley Police Department, the Appling County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the case. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Baxley Police Department at (912) 367-8305 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at (912) 389-4103. 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 Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.