Eric Forbes Funeral Fund

Eric Forbes was an energetic 6^th grader at McClure Middle School in Dallas, GA. At only 12 years old he was beaten to death by the hands of his own father. When the paramedics arrived it did not take them long to figure out that Eric did not drown as his father said. They saw evidence of current and prolonged child abuse. As a community we are trying to raise money to give this precious boy a proper funeral and burial. If you can help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. We are working directly with the funeral home to pay for the funeral.

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. -

Officials with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office have arrested a man accused of beating his 12-year-old son to death.

Authorities responded to a reported drowning at a home on North Springs Drive in Acworth on Friday and found Eric Forbes unconscious. The boy was taken to Paulding Wellstar Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Shayaa Forbes, 32, was arrested and charged with cruelty to children, according to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office. Those charges will likely be upgraded pending the results of the autopsy on the boy, according to the sheriff's office.

Officials tell FOX 5 that the sixth-grade student at McClure Middle School in Dallas, Ga., suffered severe trauma after allegedly being beaten by his father.

"The male juvenile, who had multiple bruises, bite marks, lacerations, and other marks that are consistent with physical abuse, appeared to have endured abuse for quite some time," Cpl. Ashley Henson with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office said in an emailed statement.

Ashley Majors, the mother of the 12-year-old boy, said that Shayaa Forbes has a history of violence.

"I was abused for five years," she said. "The reason I left, but I didn't think he would do this to his own child, flesh and blood."

Majors said that she didn't know her son had died until two days later.

A 10-year-old girl who also lived at the home was taken into Department of Family and Children Services custody, according to the sheriff's office. A hearing will be held on Tuesday to determine who gets custody of that child.

Forbes is being held at the Paulding County Jail.