ELBA, Ala. (WTVY) - Coffee County prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Adrienne Reid if a jury convicts her of murdering her two-year-old daughter on Christmas night, according to official court documents.

The formal notification, filed by Coffee County District Attorney James Tarbox, cements the state’s pursuit of capital punishment in a case that has gripped southeast Alabama.

Authorities allege Reid killed her toddler, Genesis, on December 25, discarded her remains in a dumpster, and falsely reported her missing weeks later.

Following Reid’s arrest, local and state agencies launched a massive, costly search of a landfill. Despite exhausting resource limits, recovery teams found no trace of the toddler.

This trial marks the most heavily scrutinized case for Tarbox since he took office in 2023. Despite earlier indicating death would be sought, he remained tight-lipped about his strategy during a court hearing last week where Reid entered a plea of not guilty. His latest court filing, however, leaves no doubt about the state’s intent.

Defense attorneys David Harrison and Laura Peterman are fighting to move the trial out of Coffee County. In a motion filed before Coffee Circuit Judge Henry “Sonny” Reagan, the defense argued that intense local media coverage has poisoned the potential jury pool.

Reid remains held without bond as both sides prepare for a trial that promises to test the limits of Coffee County’s justice system.

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