The family of 2-year-old Messiah Harris held a news conference on Marietta Square on Wednesday, Aug. 12, five days after the child's body was found in the woods behind a Marietta apartment complex.
His aunt, Tiara Redding, became emotional describing the boy who was weeks away from his third birthday.
"He loved to go to the pool, swimming. He loved animals. And dinosaurs. It was just his favorite thing," Redding said.
The family said they want justice but declined to speak about Dairon Keith, 23, of Kennesaw, the boyfriend of Messiah's mother. Keith faces two felony charges: concealing the death of another and making false statements to police.
Keith remains jailed without bond.
A judge denied bond on Monday, Aug. 10, and Keith is being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to WSB-TV. Marietta Police spokesperson Chuck McPhilamy said the investigation remains active and charges could be upgraded pending the medical examiner's report. A cause of death has not been officially released.
McPhilamy told WSB-TV on Aug. 9 that police would need to work with the medical examiner to determine what took place.
What police say happened
Messiah was found dead at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7, in a wooded area behind the Briggs at Powers Park apartment complex off Franklin Gateway, where he lived with his mother, Keith and other small children. The family had moved in from out of state about a month earlier.
Keith called 911 just before 2 p.m. that day to report Messiah missing. Police say officers immediately noticed inconsistencies in his account. McPhilamy told FOX 5 Atlanta on Aug. 7 that Keith's statements didn't make sense and weren't consistent, raising investigators' concerns.
Detectives determined Keith lied to dispatchers and responding officers, then placed the child's body in the woods and loosely covered him with dirt and vegetation, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Police say Keith admitted Messiah was already dead before he placed the 911 call. McPhilamy said the child had likely been dead "a considerable amount of time" before being reported missing.
Neighbor Matt Ducre told WSB-TV he last saw Messiah on Thursday evening, Aug. 6, with Keith holding the child. Keith told Ducre the boy was "fixing to be three."
Messiah's mother was not home at the time of his death.
What's next
The case hinges on the medical examiner's findings. No timeline has been given for when that report will be completed, and no next court date for Keith has been publicly announced.
As we reported Aug. 8, Keith was initially arrested on the concealing-a-death and false-statements charges.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Duncan at 770-794-5306 or through the Marietta Police Department app.
