Overview
- Pulaski County deputies say 2-year-old Celeste Jackson was found unresponsive after an animal attack on March 28 and investigators allege a neighbor’s loose dog dragged her into nearby woods.
- Arrest affidavits cite time-stamped camera footage showing the child wandering outside alone for about 40 minutes the day of the attack and for about 20 minutes on March 21 before an Amazon driver returned her to the house.
- Earnest Jackson, Ma'Kayla Jackson and Christina Hart were arrested on felony counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, pleaded not guilty at arraignment and are being held on bonds set by the court.
- The dog believed involved is in Pulaski County Animal Control custody and investigators say some names and relationships are redacted in court documents as the criminal probe and prosecution continue.
- The case has prompted local grief and fundraising for the family and raises questions about supervision, loose dogs and how prosecutors will prove criminal negligence in court.