2-Year-Old's Death 'Suspicious' Say Deputies

Friday, February 13, 2009 – updated: 9:14 am EST February 14, 2009

CUMMING, Ga. -- Deputies are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy in the 3500 block of Catalina Drive in Cumming, said the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said they received a 911 call at 7:02 a.m. Friday. When deputies arrived, they found the child dead in bed.

Capt. Paul Taylor said the child’s death was ruled suspicious and that a full investigation is being conducted. The boy’s body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

During the investigation, the boyfriend of the victim’s mother was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violation of the Georgia Sex Offender Registry.

Authorities said the man, Christopher Brian Gilreath, 39, failed to register as a sex offender as required by state law after moving to Georgia from out of state in December. Taylor said that Gilreath is a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania and may have run away from that state.

Taylor said that the child was adopted, along with a female sibling, and that both children lived with the victim's adoptive mother and Gilreath, her boyfriend.

Deputies won't comment on whether Gilreath is a suspect.