A young boy’s body remains missing after his mother and her boyfriend were both charged in his murder.
Dominique Bailey, 28, is charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, false reports, abuse of corpse and other related offenses.
Kevin Spencer, 30, is charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child, false reports, tampering with evidence, abuse of corpse and other related offenses.
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The investigation began on Dec. 30, 2023, after the Special Victims Unit received a report that 4-year-old Damari Carter had gone missing in West Philadelphia.
Officials said Damari’s mother, Dominique Bailey, had told her family members that her son had been struck and killed by a car. Investigators didn’t find any evidence supporting that claim however.
On Jan. 4, investigators found Bailey and brought her in for questioning. The next day, Bailey told police she was involved in her son’s death, according to investigators.
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Police executed a search warrant that same day at a home on the 3800 block of Reno Street. They arrested Spencer – who family members say is Bailey’s boyfriend – during the search and took him into custody.
While both Bailey and Spencer are charged in the boy’s murder, the child’s body still has not been found.
As the investigators continue to search for the boy’s body, the child’s father, Darryle Carter, is speaking out.
Carter said he had dated Bailey for six years after they met in Texas but they broke up last year. After they broke up, Bailey moved back to West Philadelphia and took their son Damari with her, according to Carter.
Carter said he tried to reach out to his son on his birthday on Nov. 25, 2023, and didn’t hear from him after that.
“What hurt my heart is when I tried to get in touch with him on his birthday,” Carter told NBC10 on Sunday.
Carter also said he never met Spencer.
“You know I was happy that they found [Bailey],” Carter said. “But then I was surprised that there was this other guy. I have no idea who this guy is. Never met him before.”
Carter also said he currently doesn’t have the money to fly to Philadelphia from Texas.
“Now this hit me and I don’t have any money to take a flight and hurry my way to Philadelphia,” Carter said. “I just couldn’t do it.”
As police continue to search for Damari’s body, the boy’s cousin, Aiyana Parrish, said the family remains on edge.
“Until we find Damari and put him to rest, everybody is on high alert,” she said. “Like our bodies just cannot wind down until we find this baby.”
The family fears that the boy was beaten to death.
“That’s what the police report was saying that she said is that he had a swelled head and two black eyes,” Parrish said. “I guess that’s how she came about with saying he was beaten on. He was being abused.”
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Damari Carter’s body, please call Philadelphia police.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
