Albany Woman Arrested in Connection with Death of Infant in Lee County

Lee County, GA – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested 22-year-old Nyla Shanira Simmons of Albany, Georgia, in connection with the death of her seven-month-old infant. Simmons faces one count of Second Degree Murder and one count of Second Degree Cruelty to Children.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office requested GBI assistance on October 16, 2025, after deputies responded to a hospital in Albany where the infant had been transported from the Kia Automotive Dealership on Ledo Road in Albany. The mother had left her 7 month old child unattended in the car while she went to work. The child was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Investigators quickly identified Simmons, the mother, as a suspect. On Monday, November 3, 2025, GBI agents arrested her at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office without incident. She was booked into the Lee County Jail. She is charged with Murder and Cruelty to Children (2nd degree felony).

The investigation remains active and ongoing.

If anyone has any information regarding this case, please contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Americus, Georgia, at 229-931-2439, or the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Leesburg, Georgia, at 229-759-6012. 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 Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.