Mother Sentenced to Life for Role in Death of 4-Year-Old Daughter in Toombs County

On Thursday, July 17, 2025, Taylor Marie Hughes pleaded guilty in Toombs County Superior Court to charges related to the March 14, 2025, death of her 4-year-old daughter, Reese Carter Hughes.

Investigators determined that Hughes failed to protect Reese from physical abuse by her boyfriend, Seth Brown, and neglected to seek timely medical care for the child. Hughes later cooperated with investigators and agreed to testify against Brown in his upcoming trial.

Chief Judge Robert Reeves accepted Hughes’s guilty plea to one count of Felony Murder and two counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree. She was sentenced to life in prison, with an additional twenty-year sentence to run concurrently.

The case was investigated by the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 12 Office, and the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The prosecution of co-defendant Seth Brown is ongoing.