A Cobb County man told investigators he fell asleep on the couch with his 17-month-old sleeping on his chest.
But when a friend later woke Kenton Hamilton early Friday morning, the child was gone. The toddler was found dead in a bathtub upstairs, according to Kennesaw police.
Hamilton, who lived in the Windsor Court home, told investigators the child got off the couch, “walked up two flights of stairs, climbed into the bathtub, and turned the water to the tub on and drowned,” an arrest warrant states.
Hamilton was arrested and charged with second-degree homicide, second-degree cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and cocaine possession. He was being held without bond Wednesday in the Cobb jail, booking records show.
The child’s name was not released, but police confirmed Hamilton was the father. A 4-year-old was also in the home, the warrant states.
According to investigators, Hamilton had two bags of cocaine under the couch cushions. He was convicted of statutory rape in 1995 and was not legally allowed to have a gun, but Hamilton had four at the time of his arrest, his warrant states.
A bond hearing for Hamilton is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 21, court records show.
