A West Philadelphia mom and her boyfriend have been charged in connection with the disappearance of her 4-year-old son, who has not been seen since late November.
Dominique Bailey, 28, faces multiple charges, including murder, endangering the welfare of a child, false reports, and abuse of a corpse in the presumed death of Damari Carter, according to WPVI.
Her boyfriend, 30-year-old Kevin Spencer, has been charged with criminal conspiracy, murder, endangering the welfare of a child, false reports, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and other related charges.
Bailey Told Family Members the Child was Struck and Killed by a Car
Family members said Bailey initially told them the boy, Damari Carter, had been struck and killed by a car, but they were unable to find any report of the accident and there were no services for the boy.
"Once everybody started to get cops involved because we're calling the children's hospital and they're like, 'We've never heard of Damari Carter ever,'" said the boy's cousin, Aiyana Parrish.
Police said they launched on investigation on December 30 when they got information about a missing child and that several sources said they'd heard from the mother that he was hit by a car, KYW reported. However, the investigator assigned to the case found no evidence to support their claim.
Carter Possibly Beaten to Death, Search Still Underway for His Body
They brought Bailey in for questioning on January 4 and said she told them about her involvement in Damari's death the next day. They later took Spencer in for questioning during a search of an address where he lives. Investigators said they believe the child was beaten to death, according to WPVI, but his body has not been found. The investigation is still ongoing.
Police have spent the majority of the weekend searching for Carter, canvassing neighborhoods, and even examining dumpsters blocks away from Spencer's home.
