A mom in Georgia is facing second-degree child cruelty charges. Jordyn Whitlaw allegedly physically assaulted her young daughter while at a public event. Multiple witnesses reportedly saw the mom throw the girl into a fence after becoming frustrated with her behavior. They decided that they weren’t going to sit by and watch the girl get hurt, so they called Whitlaw out for her behavior. I bet they weren’t expecting the response they got. Still, the mom didn’t get away with the abuse; the witnesses got authorities at the event involved. It’s unknown if she’ll face jail time yet.
The incident took place at a Mardi Gras celebration in Evans Towne Center Park on February 28, 2026, WJBF reported. According to reports, multiple people saw Whitlaw in the playground area with her 5-year-old daughter.
One woman went up to deputies at the event and reported “that a woman was abusing a juvenile girl at the playground area,” The Augusta Press reported. According to the witness, Whitlaw yelled at the girl to “get down” before throwing her into the fence.
When the girl began to cry, Whitlaw grabbed her by the ears while continuing to yell at her. The witness then yelled at Whitlaw to stop what she was doing, per the Press. “That’s my daughter, I can do what I want,” she reportedly responded.
A male witness told authorities the girl wasn’t listening to her mother, which is why she grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the fence. But when he and the other witness saw Whitlaw grab the girl by the throat, they stepped in and said something.
A third witness told authorities Whitlaw was giving the girl a time-out, but the girl ignored her and ran away, the Press reported.
Deputies searched the park for Whitlaw, and when they found her and her daughter, the girl had a red scrape on the right side of her neck, according to the sheriff’s report.
The mom was taken into police custody, and her husband was called to get their daughter, per the Press. Additionally, a report was filed with the Department of Family and Children Services.
Whitlaw was charged with “cruelty to children – causing excessive physical pain” and was booked into the Columbia County Detention Center. No additional details about charges or bond have been made available thus far.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
