Mother’s boyfriend charged with murder in death of 2-year-old Miss. toddler

PONTOTOC, Miss. (WTVA) - An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a 2-year-old in 2021.

Pontotoc County Sheriff Leo Mask said Justin Atkins, 33, of Reform, Alabama, is charged with the murder of Layton Nabors. The toddler died on March 19, 2021.

Autopsy results showed the child died from blunt-force trauma, the sheriff said. The sheriff said it took 16 months to receive the autopsy results.

[VIDEO: Grandmother speaks after arrest in death of grandson in Pontotoc County]

Mask said Atkins claimed the child fell off a sofa or ottoman, but bruises were not consistent with such a fall. The incident happened at a home on Evergreen Drive in Pontotoc.

Atkins was the boyfriend of the child’s mother.

Nabors’ grandmother, Tammy Walls, said Atkins was watching the child and the child’s sister while their mother was at work.

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