Police say the mother’s boyfriend falsely reported 2-year-old Messiah Harris missing before investigators found the child’s body nearby.
MARIETTA, GA — A 23-year-old Georgia man has been charged with concealing a death and making false statements after police said he reported a 2-year-old boy missing and later was accused of placing the child’s body in woods behind a Marietta apartment complex.
Dairon Keith of Kennesaw, the boyfriend of Messiah Harris’ mother, made the 911 call that launched a large search Friday, Aug. 7, according to Marietta police. Officers were told Messiah had disappeared while under a caregiver’s supervision. Several hours later, investigators found the toddler dead in a wooded area near the apartment complex. Authorities have not announced how Messiah died, and Keith has not been charged with causing his death.
Police said the missing-child report came shortly before 2 p.m. Officers responding to the Briggs at Powers Park apartment complex began questioning the caregiver and soon noticed inconsistencies in the account they were given. Marietta police spokesperson Chuck McPhilamy said investigators became concerned because some of the statements did not make sense or remain consistent as officers tried to establish what had happened.
The search expanded as multiple law enforcement agencies worked to locate Messiah. Police eventually found his body at about 7:20 p.m. in woods behind the apartment complex. Investigators allege Keith had placed the boy there and loosely covered the body with dirt and vegetation. Police said preliminary evidence indicated Messiah had been in the wooded area for a significant period and likely was already dead when the missing-child call was made.
Keith was arrested on two felony charges: concealing the death of another person and making false statements. Authorities said he was the child’s caretaker at the time and was dating Messiah’s mother. He is not the boy’s father. Keith was being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to local reports.
Police have not disclosed the specific statements Keith allegedly made to dispatchers or officers that investigators believe were false. They also have not announced a cause or manner of death. The medical examiner’s investigation is expected to help determine how Messiah died and provide investigators with a clearer timeline surrounding his death.
The case drew a large police presence to the apartment community Friday as officers searched the property and nearby areas. Residents told local news organizations they were shaken after learning that a search for a missing child had ended with the discovery of his body. Police described the outcome as a tragic end to the hourslong effort to find Messiah.
The investigation remained active Sunday. Police have said additional charges could be filed depending on what investigators and the medical examiner determine. As of Aug. 9, authorities had publicly announced only the concealing-a-death and false-statements charges against Keith and had not said who, if anyone, was responsible for Messiah’s death.
Author note: Last updated August 9, 2026.