2 Preteens Sentenced In Drowning Death Of 8-Year-Old Noah Bush

A 10 and 11-year-old have been sentenced in the drowning death of 8-year-old Noah Bush in Wayne County, Georgia.

A 10 and 11-year-old boy have been separately sentenced in the May drowning death of 8-year-old Noah Bush on the northern side of Wayne County, Georgia.

WSAV reports that the 11-year-old was sentenced to two years’ confinement, the maximum penalty under the law, and the 10-year-old was sentenced to two years in a detention center.

“My baby was eight years old with a full life ahead of him,” Noah’s mother, Demetrice Bush, said. “And two years is what the state of Georgia calls justice for an entire life that’s lost.”

The 11-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and simple battery after admitting to pushing Noah into a water-filled clay pit and holding his head under until he drowned. The children were wading in the clay pit before two of them pushed Noah into the deep end.

An overnight search was organized on May 15 after Noah’s mother realized he had gone missing. Noah and the two other boys went into a restricted zone filled with borrow pits. The two boys and their parents were involved in the overnight search for Noah.

When Noah was initially found dead inside of the borrow pits, Wayne County Sheriff Chuck Moseley said his death involved “no foul play.” However, in July, the Bush family hired the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Group to privately investigate Noah’s death, which led to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney finding probable cause and suggesting the involvement of the 10-year-old and 11-year-old boys in Noah’s death.

Later that month, a Wayne County judge sentenced the 10-year-old child to two years of confinement on charges of concealing the death of another and criminal trespassing. But there remained no clear reason for how Noah drowned until the 11-year-old revealed the truth on Thursday.

A hearing is set in 30 days to discuss restitution for Noah’s family. The attorneys state that their work is not complete until adults, particularly the 11-year-old child’s mother, Natalie Hardison, are prosecuted in the case.

Hardison was arrested in July on charges including probation violation and making false statements. However, her attorneys say the county is “making up other reasons” for her current incarceration. County officials have confirmed that Hardison’s charges are not directly connected to Noah’s death or the case against her son.