Mother of Emma Cole of Smyrna Accepts Plea Deal in Child’s Death
The mother of a 3 year old Smyrna girl has pleaded guilty in the death of Emma Cole of Smyrna. Officials at the Department of Justice say 31 year old Kristie Haas has pleaded guilty to 1st degree murder by abuse or neglect, 3 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of abuse of a corpse.
The remains of a child were found in September of 2019 at the Smyrna-Clayton Little Lass softball fields and sparked a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the child’s identity and her death.
The child was finally identified as Emma Grace Cole – who was 3 at the time of her death. She lived in Smyrna with her mother, stepfather and siblings.
Sentencing will be done at a later date. Haas faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison – as part of the plea agreement, Haas will agree with the State’s recommendation of 30 years in prison.
Haas was indicted in 2021 after a lengthy investigation by Smyrna Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and several other agencies. Â
