Juvenile Charged in Dawsonville with Concealing a Death

Dawson County Courthouse

Dawsonville, Ga. - Not many details have been released about a serious arrest that has made headlines this week regarding a juvenile who has been arrested for concealing the death of an infant in Dawsonville.

Dawson County authorities connected the juvenile girl to the death of a newborn. The newborn's body was discovered behind a home off of Thompson Road at the beginning of July. No further details have been released.

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the law behind the crime of concealing a death within the state of Georgia in today's post.

Concealing a Death in Georgia

Georgia Code defines concealing a death in Georgia in O.C.G.A. §16-10-31 as:

A person who, by concealing the death of any other person, hinders a discovery of whether or not such person was unlawfully killed is guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years, a fine of not less than $1,000.00 nor more than $5,000.00, or both.

People often believe that if they didn't do anything to conceal the body, then they are not guilty of a crime. However, not communicating with authorities and informing them of death is still enough to be convicted of concealing a body.

If convicted of concealing a death in Georgia, then a person is guilty of a felony offense. Georgia felony penalties are far-reaching, and for this particular crime, an individual is facing up to ten years in prison as well as fines up to $5,000.

Practice Note

Call our offices today if you or someone you know is facing charges in the state of Georgia. We handle everything from misdemeanor cases to felony cases. This includes everything in between. Call us now.