PGPD Detectives Charge Father in Connection With Death of Infant; Death Ruled a Homicide

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Joseph Barrett​

Homicide Unit detectives charged a father in connection with the death of his infant daughter. The suspect is 27-year-old Joseph Barrett of Takoma Park. He is charged with the murder of four-month-old Jaliyah Thompson.

On January 6, 2024, at approximately 6:20 am, officers responded to a motel in the 9400 block of Largo Drive West in the Largo area for the report of an unresponsive infant. The baby was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital.

On March 4, 2024, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the baby’s death a homicide and the manner was a drug-related overdose.



The preliminary investigation revealed Barrett had sole care and custody of the baby at the time she went unresponsive. Barrett admitted to consuming the drug “Molly” while caring for and feeding the baby. Barrett was arrested on March 6, 2024. He is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.



If anyone has information relevant to this investigation, they are asked to please call detectives at 301-516-2512.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS, go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.) Please refer to case 24-0001293.


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Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.