A group of people who knew and loved a seven-year-old whose death has shaken a community gathered last week to share their grief and memories.
The Oct. 7 gathering was held at Trinabell’s Diner in Gray to remember Jermaine Togeg, a second grader at Mattie Wells Elementary School. The cause and manner of his death is still not known, despite an autopsy that took place Oct. 5.
The date of the child’s death is presumed to be Tuesday, Sept. 29, although it was not reported to authorities until Oct. 1. Jermaine would have celebrated his eighth birthday Sept. 30.
Jermaine’s caretakers, George Togeg and Reva Ogles, were taken into custody and charged with cruelty to children in the first degree and concealing the death of another, both felonies. If convicted of the charges, they are each facing 1-10 years for concealing the death and up to 20 years for cruelty to children in the first degree. That charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
During an Oct. 8 interview with the lead investigators in the case, Jones County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Kenny Gleaton and Lt. Crystal Murphy talked about the investigation to this point and what is next.
Gleaton said the call reporting the death was received by the JCSO at 7 p.m. Oct. 1. The call was originally made by Ogles, who then handed the phone to Togeg. He stated the child had passed away two days ago.
Patrol officers were the first on the scene, who then contacted Gleaton after seeing the condition of the body. The captain arrived first and was joined by Murphy.
“We immediately noticed the injuries on the body, backed up, and sent for a search warrant,” Gleaton said. “Once we secured the warrant, we cleared the residence, collected evidence and took photos.”
He said the coroner was called and the body transferred to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner’s Office in Decatur for examination and to determine the cause and manner of death.
The captain said that is protocol for the unexplained death of a minor.
“We saw the injuries but no obvious cause of death,” he said.
Gleaton said there was no visible blunt force trauma or life-threatening injuries. He said an item was found at the scene that was consistent with the visible wounds that had been inflicted on the body.
“Based on the statements of the suspects and the fact the death had not been reported for two days, the suspects were arrested,” he said.
Gleaton said to this point, neither of the suspects has given any explanation for the delay in reporting the death.
Both Ogles and Togeg are being held without bond. He said that was determined at their first appearance but would later be decided by a Superior Court judge. Gleaton said the JCSO would oppose bond for either of the defendants in the case.
The captain said he considers Togeg a flight risk. He is the adoptive father of Jermaine, who is his biological nephew. Togeg is from the Micronesian state of Yap and possesses a passport.
Ogles and Togeg are not married but share a six-month old, who is currently in the care of a family member. Ogles is from Jones County, attended school and worked here. Both were employed at Walmart.
Gleaton said the allegation of child abuse is based on the physical evidence found.
“The medical examiner agreed the wounds on the body are consistent with child abuse,” he said.
He said Togeg and Ogles stated the child was in the shower and collapsed. He was in his bed when officers arrived. No evidence was found of drowning or suffocation.
The captain added that the wounds on Jermaine’s body are consistent with the weapon found at the scene. He said the autopsy gathered internal and external tissue samples for testing, but those tests could take up to two months to complete.
“We don’t want to leave any tests out. We’d rather have the right answer than a fast answer,” he said.
Gleaton said it is the intention of the sheriff’s office to have the defendants indicted on the charges before they receive the test results. He added that the District Attorney’s office has been on the ground with the investigation since day one.
“The investigation is ongoing, and we definitely still have work to do,” he added.
The captain asked anyone with information about the case, no matter how small it seems, to contact him or Murphy at the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, 478-986-3489.
