Augusta, GA
Authorities arrest mother of 2 young children who died
THOMSON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 21-year-old mother is behind bars, charged with murder in the death of her 7-month-old son who died in September 2021.
Dakota Nicole Taylor was arrested Tuesday at an apartment complex in McDuffie County on charges of malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children in the first degree in connection with the death of Micah Taylor.
According to a grand jury arrest warrant, Taylor “with malice and forethought” caused the death of Micah Taylor by obstructing his airways. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said they arrested Taylor with help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
In January, Dakota’s other child, 8-month-old Caleb Taylor, also died. The GBI is currently investigating his death as well.
The case highlights potential failures by DFCS and DeKalb County in their handling of the situation.
Body camera footage from the night DeKalb County police officers arrived at a group home shows the scene after Micah was found unresponsive inside. According to police reports, Dakota was giving Micah a bath upstairs that night. When she finished, she brought him back downstairs into his swing.
Workers noticed Micah was slumped over, pale and unresponsive. The Department of Family and Children Services file states that Dakota’s responses to hearing her son died and processing the grief in the following days was unusual. Officers on scene made similar observations.
“I don’t know if this has anything to do with anything, but the mother, didn’t … She was very … Like alright, whatever. And I was like your baby is …” an officer said in body camera footage.
Another officer described Dakota’s demeanor as “nonchalant” when they were carrying the baby out.
MORE FROM NEWS 12
News 12 I-TEAM: Other investigations
- Families hit roadblocks with new military moving contract
- Where did entitlement money go for brick house on Branch Street?
- Changes to chemical plant’s permit raise pollution concerns
- Thieves swiping Apple devices where you’d least expect it
- Federal lawsuit filed against Burke County Sheriff’s Office
- Taxpayers foot more than $250K bill for jail incident
- ‘Very frustrated’: Homeowners feel ignored by insurance companies
Officers questioned Dakota at the home after the incident. The case remained unclear for an extended period, with investigators not beginning serious questioning until two years after Micah’s death.
Dakota Taylor was under DFCS supervision during this time, raising questions about why the agency did not intervene after Micah’s death.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
Augusta Jaguars preparing to host cross-town rival USC Aiken Pacers
AUGUSTA, GA (WJBF)- The Augusta men’s basketball team is gearing up to host cross-town rival the USC Aiken Pacers Wednesday night in a Peach Belt Conference matchup.
The Jags held their last full day of practice at Christenberry Fieldhouse before they take the court against the Pacers. Augusta holds a 54-33 lead in the overall series, but the Pacers swept the Jags last season.
Both teams this year off to a slower start in conference play, with just five wins combined between the two programs. So, this matchup will serve as a strong evaluation on where the teams are at now, and what they can improve on moving forward.
“We started the season off a little slow. But each game you can see the progress that we’re making in practice, the progress that we’re making. As a team we’re starting to click and understand what it takes,” said AU point guard Kyndon Wilburg.
“Rebounding the basketball is probably the most important thing, getting back in transition. This would be a huge win for us, coming off a tough loss from lander. I think it would be a great way to kick start what we’re about to do,” Wilburg said.
Tip-off for the men is set for 7:30 p.m. at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Augusta, GA
We the People: Augusta Museum showcases new America’s 250th exhibit
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Museum of History is launching a new America’s 250th exhibit that showcases the area’s Revolutionary War, Civil War and modern-day connections.
“When people think of the Revolutionary War, a lot of times they think of up north, you know, New England and Paul Revere, but there’s just as much history down here,” Krystal Lyons, head of education, said.
The exhibit is a chronological journey through Augusta’s past
The exhibit moves chronologically through Augusta’s history, telling specific stories through objects that have not been displayed before or in a long time.
The display starts with Native Americans and the Stallings Island community, progresses through the Revolutionary period and into the Civil War and antebellum period before arriving at the modern day.

Visitors should plan multiple visits to see all the historical stories the artifacts tell, as the exhibit will change every three months.
“These stories that each of these artifacts has, it has a little story that we can connect to people today, so it might feel like a long time ago, 250 years ago, but there’s a lot of things that we do that are just the same today as they were 250 years ago.”
You can also visit the Augusta Museum of History’s social media pages as they deep dive into one artifact per week throughout the year.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
GameStop to close 16 Georgia locations, including 1 in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Video game retailer GameStop is reportedly closing 16 stores in Georgia, including one Augusta location, as part of its “comprehensive store portfolio optimization.”
The store in Augusta is located in the Southpointe Plaza at 3209 Deans Bridge Road.
The retailer announced in an SEC filing that it plans to close “a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025.”
While an official list is not available, emails sent to customers and notices sent to employees indicate 16 stores in Georgia are on the chopping block.
All Georgia locations closing include:
- North Point Mall, 1198 North Point Circle, Alpharetta
- Lenox Square Mall, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE Suite 2027, Atlanta
- Howell Mill, 1801 Howell Mill Rd. NW, Atlanta
- Southpointe Plaza, 3209 Deans Bridge Rd., Augusta
- Shops @ Main Street, 455 Cherokee Pl., Cartersville
- Chamblee Village, 1841 Chamblee-Tucker Rd., Chamblee
- Peachtree Mall, 3131 Manchester Expwy. #34B, Columbus
- Cumming Marketplace, 1060 Market Place Blvd., Cumming
- Dublin Commons, 2421 Hwy. 80 W, Dublin
- Hartwell Station, 115 Walmart Dr., Hartwell
- 4959 Bill Gardner Pkwy., Locust Grove
- McDonough Square, 1144 Hwy. 20-81, McDonough
- Pharrs Village, 1830 Scenic Hwy. N, Snellville
- Stone Mountain Festival, 1825 Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain
- Cofer Crossing, 4363 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker
GameStop’s board of directors recently approved $35 billion in performance-based stock options for CEO Ryan Cohen, should the company’s market cap hit $100 billion. The company’s market cap is $9.3 billion.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
-
Montana4 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Technology1 week agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Delaware5 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX6 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Virginia4 days agoVirginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
-
Education1 week agoVideo: This Organizer Reclaims Counter Space
-
Iowa1 week agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star