A mother accused of stabbing her six-year-old son to death before setting the family home ablaze has been seized by the police.

Suspect A’zaria Shante Burton, 23, from the city of Peachtree Corners, in the US state of Georgia, is said to have repeatedly stabbed victim Jayveon Pruitt before starting the fire.

Burton, the police said, then fled the home but was found hiding behind the apartment block soaked to the skin after a neighbour called firefighters on 19th October.

Firefighters found Jayveon’s body and rushed him to the Children’s Healthcare clinic in Atlanta but he was declared dead.

The police said that his mother has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, arson in the 1st degree, and other charges.

She was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on 20th October and is being held with no bail.

CEN obtained an initial statement from the Gwinnett County Police on 19th October saying: “The original call came from a resident on the upper level of the building.

“When members of the fire department arrived, they could hear an audible fire alarm coming from the unit on the first level.

“After making entry into the first-level unit, they discovered an unresponsive boy who appeared to have multiple stab wounds.”

They went on: “The child, a boy approximately six years old, was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

“The child was the only occupant inside the apartment at the time.

“Officers assigned to the West Precinct arrived on scene to begin the criminal investigation and to begin searching the area for any persons of interest.

“At approximately 9:15am, officers found a woman behind the building.

“Her clothing was wet, and she was wearing only one sock. She was taken into custody.” (sic)

They later issued an update saying: “The child’s mother, A’zaria Shante Burton (age 23), has been charged with Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Arson 1st Degree, and other charges. She was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Friday, October 20, at around 9:30 p.m. and is being held with no bond.” (sic)

The investigation is ongoing.