A Georgia man is facing charges after allegedly concealing a 2-year-old boy’s body in the woods behind their apartment complex and then reporting the child missing after the boy had already been dead for “a considerable amount of time.”
Dairon Keith, 23, has been charged with concealing the death of another and making false statements to law enforcement in connection with the death of Messiah Harris, according to Marietta police, who confirmed the charges in an email.
Keith, who was the mother’s boyfriend, reported Messiah missing around 2 p.m. on Friday from an apartment complex located at 8 Ridge Run. Keith told police the boy was last seen roughly 30 minutes before he called 911. Officers recovered Messiah’s body approximately five hours later behind the apartment complex.
The suspect allegedly gave inconsistent statements that led police to believe he was not telling the truth. Authorities accused him of carrying Messiah’s body into the wooded area behind the complex and covering the remains with dirt and loose vegetation.
“Preliminary indications are that his body had been in the woods for a considerable amount of time,” police wrote.
A medical examiner is performing an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, which could result in additional charges. Police did not mention Messiah’s mother in the press release.
Officers took Keith into custody and transported him to the Cobb County Jail, where he is being held without bond. His next court date has not been listed.
Messiah was just weeks shy of his third birthday. He lived in the apartment complex with his mother, her boyfriend and other siblings, according to next-door neighbor Matt Ducre, who spoke with local ABC affiliate WSB. Ducre said he last recalled seeing Messiah in Keith’s arms.
“He was holding him and saying he was fixing to be three,” Ducre said.
Leave a Reply