An investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the arrest of a Chattanooga teenager, who is charged with the abuse and murder of a South Pittsburg toddler.
At the request of 12th District Attorney General J. Michael Taylor, on September 19, 2016, TBI Special Agents joined investigators with the South Pittsburg Police Department in investigating injuries sustained by 2-year-old Zayne Harper. Those injuries later resulted in the boy’s death.
During the course of the joint investigation, agents developed information that indicated that the mother’s boyfriend at the time of the incident was responsible for the injuries resulting in the death of Zayne.
On Monday, juvenile petitions were served on the teen, charging him with one count of first degree murder and one count of aggravated child abuse. Because the male was a juvenile at the time of the incident, his name is not being released. He was booked into the Marion County Jail, where he is being held on an open court bond.