Atlanta man charged with murder, abuse and kidnapping of 4-year-old boy

ATLANTA - Atlanta police have made an arrest in the death of a young boy earlier this month.

Officers apprehended Rodney McWeay on Dec. 21 and have charged him in the murder and kidnapping of a 4-year-old boy from an incident that occurred the week before.

On Dec. 11, officers were called to a home on Renfrew Court SW for a report of an unresponsive child. When they arrived, they found the boy unresponsive and not breathing. Emergency crews took the boy to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

After hearing about the death, neighbors told FOX 5 the family kept to themselves, but they often saw children playing outside.

"I didn't know them. When I come to visit my mother, I see them outside playing," said James Saunders.

McWeay was taken into custody on Thursday.

Rodney McWeay (Fulton County Sheriffs Office)

McWeay is charged with murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, cruelty to children in the second degree, kidnapping, and also imprisonment. 

Investigators have not said how McWeay is connected to the 4-year-old boy.

In addition to the December charges, McWeay also has charges dating back to June of this year and May 2021.

He was booked into the Fulton County Jail without bond.