Josiah Matthew Backus, a 26-year-old resident of Walker County, Georgia, has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the repeated sexual abuse of his young relatives. The sentencing, which took place on August 28, 2025, follows his conviction on multiple counts of Aggravated Child Molestation and Child Molestation.

Backus will serve the first 35 years of his life sentence without the possibility of parole. The victims in the case were identified as his 6- and 8-year-old nieces and his 5-year-old nephew.

The investigation began on August 4, 2024, when a family friend reported that Backus had confessed to sexually abusing the children. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office immediately launched an inquiry, spearheaded by Detective Eddie Hill.

As part of the investigation, Detective Hill coordinated forensic interviews of the children through the Children’s Advocacy Center. Senior Forensic Interviewer Holly Kittle conducted these crucial interviews, where all three children bravely disclosed the horrific abuse. Their accounts consistently described repeated sexual assaults by their uncle while they were living in the same home.

During his own interview with Detective Hill, Backus admitted to the repeated abuse. He subsequently pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Aggravated Child Molestation and Child Molestation.

The prosecution team was led by Chief Assistant District Attorney Lynsay Chapman of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller expressed profound gratitude for the dedication and collaboration of all agencies and professionals involved in the case.

“This sentence sends a clear message: those who prey upon our children will face the full force of justice in this community,” District Attorney Fuller stated. “We will not tolerate predators who destroy the innocence of the most vulnerable.”

Fuller specifically commended the courage of the child victims, the tireless work of Detective Hill, and the exceptional advocacy provided by the Children’s Advocacy Center, highlighting Executive Director Anthony Dye and Senior Forensic Interviewer Holly Kittle.

“Thanks to the courage of these children, the tireless work of Detective Hill, and the exceptional advocacy of the Children’s Advocacy Center—especially Executive Director Anthony Dye and Senior Forensic Interviewer Holly Kittle, who is an invaluable asset to protecting our community—this man will never again harm another child,” Fuller emphasized. “In other circuits across the state and country, prosecutors let monsters walk free. In Northwest Georgia we stand guard for our children, and ensure that those monsters spend the majority of their days in a dark prison cell.”