1-year-old boy found unresponsive with marks around his neck died after his 26-year-old mother and 30-year-old father left him on the floor strapped in a car seat; parents arrested
Georgia – In a deeply disturbing incident in Georgia, a 26-year-old mother, identified as K. Schmitt, and a 30-year-old father, identified as A. Pedigo, were arrested and are now facing serious charges in connection with the death of their 1-year-old son, who was found unresponsive with marks around his neck while strapped in a car seat inside their home. Schmitt and Pedigo were arrested and charged Monday with second‑degree murder and second‑degree cruelty to children in the death of their son. Authorities say the little boy was left alone in the living room, strapped into his car seat, and that injuries on his body point to strangulation by the seat belt.
On June 5, around 4:00 p.m., law enforcement and EMS units arrived at the family’s home after receiving a 911 call from the parents. They claimed they found their toddler “unresponsive in his car seat.” First responders rushed the boy to the hospital, but tragically he was pronounced dead. When officers examined the scene, they noted several critical details. According to police statements, the boy’s injuries were “consistent with having the seat belt and buckle around his neck.” They found “bruising” and “other marks around the neck that indicated that the child had been strangled by those restraints.”
Schmitt and Pedigo told investigators that it was “typical for them to seat belt their son into his car seat and leave him on the floor of the living room to watch television while they were home.” According to the police release: “Schmitt told investigators that on June 5th, she was watching television with her son while Pedigo was sleeping in the bedroom,” and that she left him alone for 30 to 40 minutes while she went to rouse her husband for work. When they returned, they say, they discovered their 1-year-old boy unresponsive.
The delay in the arrest—over three months—reflects the complexity of the investigation. Officials say they consulted with the district attorney’s office throughout that time, and only recently obtained warrants for the couple’s arrests. Investigators say the evidence strongly implicates the parents. The combination of the injury patterns—marks around the neck consistent with belt‑strangulation—and the parents’ own admissions about their routine, plus the timeline and medical findings, led to the murder and cruelty charges.
The case contrasts the parents’ narrative of a benign routine against the grim forensic reality. Schwitt and Pedigo claimed they left their son watching television in his car seat while they attended to routine tasks inside the home. But the presence of telltale bruising and the serious nature of the neck injuries persuaded law enforcement that what happened was far more than a tragic accident. The GoFundMe page launched by the victim’s grandmother, later removed after the arrests, alleged that Pedigo had been working two jobs so Schmitt could stay home with their older son, who lives with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. Whether this background context plays a role in legal arguments or sentencing remains to be seen.
Following the issuance of warrants, the couple was arrested without incident. They are currently being held in the county jail without bond. As of this writing, no court date has been publicly announced. Both Schmitt and Pedigo await trial on the charges of second‑degree murder and second‑degree cruelty to children. The legal process will likely explore whether their conduct was negligent to the point of criminal liability or whether a harsher charge should apply.
The 1-year-old boy’s death, if proven to be caused by the very seat belt meant to restrain him, will raise troubling questions about infant safety, parental responsibility, and the limits of routine child care. His parents’ account—that they only stepped away for a short time—stands in stark contrast to the injuries found. If convicted, the charges they face carry severe penalties under Georgia law. Meanwhile, the community and investigators await more evidence, statements, and a court date. For now, the death of a young boy, straps around his neck and a final silent room, leaves a question: how did routine become lethal?
