Police say the South Side child was discovered on New Year’s Eve; the mother, 41, faces a murder charge.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 41-year-old Columbus mother has been charged with murder after officers found her 3-year-old daughter unresponsive inside a South Side home on New Year’s Eve, authorities said Friday, Jan. 2. The woman was arrested and booked into the Franklin County jail ahead of an arraignment.
Police say the case moved swiftly from a 911 call to an arrest as detectives interviewed the child’s mother overnight and obtained statements they say linked her to the death. The girl, identified by family and neighbors as 3-year-old Cassidy Sakoulos, was found at a house on Orson Drive on Dec. 31. The investigation now shifts to the courts, with prosecutors preparing initial filings and a judge set to review bond and release conditions. The charge marks the first major homicide case to reach Franklin County courts in the new year and has left a close-knit block grieving the loss of a child many described as cheerful and curious.
Officers were dispatched around 5:35 p.m. Dec. 31 to the 1400 block of Orson Drive on a report of a child not breathing, according to police. Medics and patrol units arrived within minutes but could not save the girl. Detectives interviewed the child’s mother late that night and into Thursday morning; court records state she admitted to suffocating her daughter and said she intended to kill her. She was taken into custody and later booked on a single count of murder. “It’s one of the hardest calls our officers and paramedics face,” a police spokesperson said in a video statement, noting the case remains active.
Investigators are collecting scene evidence, body-camera footage and any home surveillance video from the immediate area. The house sits near the end of Orson Drive on the city’s South Side, a stretch of modest single-family homes not far from South High Street. Detectives have not announced a specific motive. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of death; results typically take several weeks. Records show the mother, identified by police as Sharon Sakoulos, 41, was taken to the county jail Thursday and held pending court proceedings. Neighbors told reporters the child was “happy-go-lucky,” a phrase repeated by several residents who said they often saw her playing outside.
The South Side has seen periodic spikes in violence in recent years, but cases involving very young children are rare and draw immediate attention. In 2025, Columbus police logged multiple domestic-related homicides that prompted renewed training on responding to family violence and improving coordination with child-welfare agencies. Advocates say holiday weeks can strain families and lead to an uptick in crisis calls. City leaders have emphasized the role of prosecutors, juvenile court officials and social workers when a child is harmed, although each case turns on specific facts gathered by detectives and medical examiners.
The legal process began Friday morning with an initial appearance in Franklin County Municipal Court, where a judge reviewed the arrest and scheduled the next hearing. Prosecutors are expected to outline the evidence supporting the murder charge and may seek to keep Sakoulos held while the case is presented to a grand jury. If indicted, the case would move to the Court of Common Pleas for arraignment and eventual trial. Defense attorneys typically receive investigative materials in the coming days, including reports, recordings and lab submissions. The coroner’s findings, once complete, will be filed with the court and could be referenced at future hearings.
On Orson Drive, neighbors stepped into the chilly evening air Thursday to talk quietly with one another and with officers still canvassing door-to-door. One resident described leaving a small stuffed animal on the porch rail. “That little girl waved to everyone,” the neighbor said, pausing to gather her words. Another neighbor said she saw police knock on several doors seeking doorbell-camera footage from the hours before 5:30 p.m. Parents walking by with children in strollers lowered their voices as they passed the yellow tape, and a few residents shook their heads, saying they were angry and heartsick.
As of Friday afternoon, police said the homicide unit’s work continues while prosecutors handle the first round of court filings. The next milestone is the defendant’s bond hearing and the coroner’s preliminary report in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated January 2, 2026.