diff --git a/cpp/src/io/json/json_column.cu b/cpp/src/io/json/json_column.cu
index 631f8adbd6d..3e587768b11 100644
--- a/cpp/src/io/json/json_column.cu
+++ b/cpp/src/io/json/json_column.cu
@@ -594,8 +594,7 @@ void make_device_json_column(device_span<SymbolT const> input,
     col.validity =
       cudf::detail::create_null_mask(col.num_rows, cudf::mask_state::ALL_NULL, stream, mr);
     col.type = json_col_t::StringColumn;
-    col.child_columns.clear();  // their references should be deleted too.
-    col.column_order.clear();
+    // destroy references of all child columns after this step, by calling remove_child_columns
   };
 
   path_from_tree tree_path{column_categories,
@@ -628,6 +627,19 @@ void make_device_json_column(device_span<SymbolT const> input,
   std::vector<uint8_t> is_pruned(num_columns, 0);
   columns.try_emplace(parent_node_sentinel, std::ref(root));
 
+  std::function<void(NodeIndexT, device_json_column&)> remove_child_columns =
+    [&](NodeIndexT this_col_id, device_json_column& col) {
+      for (auto col_name : col.column_order) {
+        auto child_id                  = mapped_columns[{this_col_id, col_name}];
+        is_mixed_type_column[child_id] = 1;
+        remove_child_columns(child_id, col.child_columns.at(col_name));
+        mapped_columns.erase({this_col_id, col_name});
+        columns.erase(child_id);
+      }
+      col.child_columns.clear();  // their references are deleted above.
+      col.column_order.clear();
+    };
+
   auto name_and_parent_index = [&is_array_of_arrays,
                                 &row_array_parent_col_id,
                                 &column_parent_ids,
@@ -721,6 +733,7 @@ void make_device_json_column(device_span<SymbolT const> input,
           auto& col = columns.at(old_col_id).get();
           if (col.type == json_col_t::ListColumn or col.type == json_col_t::StructColumn) {
             reinitialize_as_string(old_col_id, col);
+            remove_child_columns(old_col_id, col);
             // all its children (which are already inserted) are ignored later.
           }
           col.forced_as_string_column = true;
diff --git a/cpp/tests/io/json_test.cpp b/cpp/tests/io/json_test.cpp
index 9d766e80094..5d790e73246 100644
--- a/cpp/tests/io/json_test.cpp
+++ b/cpp/tests/io/json_test.cpp
@@ -2679,4 +2679,40 @@ TEST_F(JsonReaderTest, JsonNestedDtypeFilter)
   }
 }
 
+TEST_F(JsonReaderTest, JSONMixedTypeChildren)
+{
+  std::string const json_str = R"(
+{ "Root": { "Key": [ { "EE": "A" } ] } }
+{ "Root": { "Key": {  } } }
+{ "Root": { "Key": [{ "YY": 1}] } }
+)";
+  // Column "EE" is created and destroyed
+  // Column "YY" should not be created
+
+  cudf::io::json_reader_options options =
+    cudf::io::json_reader_options::builder(cudf::io::source_info{json_str.c_str(), json_str.size()})
+      .lines(true)
+      .recovery_mode(cudf::io::json_recovery_mode_t::RECOVER_WITH_NULL)
+      .normalize_single_quotes(true)
+      .normalize_whitespace(false)
+      .mixed_types_as_string(true)
+      .keep_quotes(true);
+
+  auto result = cudf::io::read_json(options);
+
+  ASSERT_EQ(result.tbl->num_columns(), 1);
+  ASSERT_EQ(result.metadata.schema_info.size(), 1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(result.metadata.schema_info[0].name, "Root");
+  ASSERT_EQ(result.metadata.schema_info[0].children.size(), 1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(result.metadata.schema_info[0].children[0].name, "Key");
+  ASSERT_EQ(result.metadata.schema_info[0].children[0].children.size(), 2);
+  EXPECT_EQ(result.metadata.schema_info[0].children[0].children[0].name, "offsets");
+  // types
+  EXPECT_EQ(result.tbl->get_column(0).type().id(), cudf::type_id::STRUCT);
+  EXPECT_EQ(result.tbl->get_column(0).child(0).type().id(), cudf::type_id::STRING);
+  cudf::test::strings_column_wrapper expected({R"([ { "EE": "A" } ])", "{  }", R"([{ "YY": 1}])"});
+
+  CUDF_TEST_EXPECT_COLUMNS_EQUAL(expected, result.tbl->get_column(0).child(0));
+}
+
 CUDF_TEST_PROGRAM_MAIN()