Two-year-old Lauren Barton died on August 29, 2022, after sustaining a gunshot wound inside a home on Alaska Street in Savannah, Georgia. Emergency services found her about 4:30 p.m.; she was taken to a nearby hospital and later died of her injuries.

A 16-year-old male who had been at the home fled after the shooting but was located by Savannah Police detectives and taken into custody. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children and held at the Regional Youth Detention Center without bond. At a preliminary hearing in October 2022 a detective testified the teenager had brought a gun to his girlfriend’s house, left it behind a sofa, and that Lauren allegedly found the firearm and was shot in the neck.

The investigation and legal process remain ongoing. If anyone has information about the events at the Alaska Street residence that afternoon, please come forward.