Missing Marietta Toddler Found Dead, Mother's Boyfriend Arrested: Police

MARIETTA, GA — The boyfriend of a 2-year-old boy's mother has been arrested after police said the child was found dead in the woods behind a Marietta apartment complex hours after being reported missing Friday, according to police and a report.

Marietta police began searching for Messiah Harris, who was weeks away from his third birthday, after officers were called to an apartment complex at 8 Ridge Run shortly before 2 p.m. The person watching Messiah told police he had last seen the child at the apartment around 1:30 p.m., prompting a search involving multiple agencies.

Police said Friday night that Messiah's body had been found and detectives were investigating what happened.

The mother's boyfriend, Dairon Keith of Kennesaw, was the person who called 911 to report Messiah missing, according to a report from WSB-TV citing police.

Authorities said Keith is accused of making false statements to dispatchers and responding officers. He is also accused of leaving Messiah's body in the woods behind the apartment complex, where he loosely covered it with dirt and vegetation.

Keith was arrested on felony charges, including concealing a death, WSB-TV reported.

Marietta police spokesperson Chuck McPhilamy told WSB-TV that preliminary evidence indicated Messiah's body had been in the woods for a significant period and that the boy was likely already dead when the caregiver called 911 to report him missing.

Authorities have not announced a cause or manner of death.