Trial begins for Georgia parents accused of killing infant daughter

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The trial of two Newton County parents police say murdered their newborn baby is set to start Monday.

It was Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, when the 911 call to Newton County authorities came in about 15-day-old Caliyah McNabb being missing.

A day later, searchers found the little girl's body in a duffel bag in the woods off of Highway 36, not far from the family’s home at Eagle Pointe Mobile Home Park. Shortly afterward, Christopher McNabb was arrested.

Police say McNabb took off after learning that the little girl had been found.

MORE: No bond for Newton County father charged with infant daughter's murder

"The mother happened to be in the car with the father, and they were at the intersection of Hey 36 and the Bypass," said Capt. Keith Crum of the Newton County Sheriff's Office.  "When he learned that the baby's body had been discovered, he jumped out and ran."

An autopsy showed blunt-force trauma to the head as the cause of the newborn's death.

After an investigation, officers also arrested her mother, Courtney Bell, and charged her with second-degree murder, among other charges.

RELATED: Mother of 2-week-old arrested in connection with baby's death

It was revealed in court documents that McNabb and Bell had smoked meth on the night before the child was reported missing.

Both parents are scheduled to appear at the same time for the trial on charges of murder, child cruelty, and child deprivation.