Investigators say the 6-month-old suffered multiple brain bleeds and a fractured collarbone.
MACON, Ga. — A Middle Georgia man already on house arrest in another county was charged with murder this week after a 6-month-old boy he was caring for died from severe injuries, authorities said. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office announced the upgraded charge late Tuesday after the child died at a hospital.
The case centers on 24-year-old Willie George Northern Jr. of Kathleen, who deputies say was watching his girlfriend’s infant at a Fairmont Avenue home in Macon on Jan. 4. The sheriff’s office says Northern initially faced counts of first-degree cruelty to children and tampering with evidence, and a murder warrant followed after the child died on Jan. 6. The timeline and the claim that Northern was under house arrest in neighboring Houston County have drawn scrutiny to how he ended up at the Macon residence. He remains jailed in Bibb County as the investigation continues.
Deputies were called just before 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 4 about an infant who was not breathing at a home on Fairmont Avenue. Paramedics took the boy to Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Hospital in Macon, where staff reported severe injuries. Medical crews later flew the infant to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in critical condition. Northern told deputies he had fed, swaddled and laid the baby down to rest, then found him unresponsive and called 911. “This is a difficult case for everyone involved,” Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said earlier this week, noting that next of kin were notified before the death was publicly announced.
According to investigators, medical staff documented multiple brain bleeds and a fractured collarbone. The sheriff’s office said Northern was identified as the suspect after interviews and evidence review, and he was booked just before 2 a.m. on Jan. 5. Officials also noted Northern wore an ankle monitor tied to a separate Houston County case. Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards told local reporters that a judge’s permission would be required for a person on house arrest to leave the county. It was not immediately clear whether any violation-related charges will be considered. The infant’s name has not been released by local authorities.
Northern’s current charges are murder, first-degree cruelty to children and tampering with evidence. Records show the initial counts were filed before the death, with the murder warrant obtained after doctors reported the child died late Jan. 6. An autopsy is scheduled at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in DeKalb County on Friday morning, authorities said. Results will guide next steps in the case. The sheriff’s office has not detailed the exact mechanism of the injuries or how they believe they occurred. No additional arrests have been announced.
The case has sparked questions about supervision and compliance for defendants on house arrest. Northern’s listed residence is in Kathleen, roughly 30 miles south of Macon. Bibb County investigators say they encountered him at the Macon home where the infant was found. Fairmont Avenue is a residential corridor a few miles east of downtown Macon, and neighbors told local stations the street was briefly filled with patrol cars and an ambulance the night of the call. “You hate to see anything like this happen on your block,” one resident said, declining to give a name.
As of Thursday night, Northern remained at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center. The autopsy is set for Friday at 7:30 a.m., and investigators said they expect to review findings with prosecutors afterward. No court date has been posted publicly, and authorities plan to release updates when the medical examiner’s report is complete.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.