The tragic death of little Damari Carter: Toddler's body found in duffel bag months after mom claimed he was hit by car

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A 4-year-old boy whose body was discovered in a duffel bag in West Philadelphia in March has been identified as the missing child from late 2023.

Damari Carter's disappearance was investigated starting on December 30, when family members reported that the boy had not been seen in weeks.

Damari Carter's mom Dominique Bailey told family that he was struck by a car

Workers with Philadelphia's Community Life Improvement Program were cleaning the street at a property in the 600 block of North 38th Street on March 18 when they came across the child's decomposing body inside a duffel bag.

DNA was used to identify the deceased child because his clothes corresponded to those that Damari Carter was wearing on December 30, KYW reports. 

Carter's mother, 28-year-old Dominique Bailey, reportedly told family members that her son had been struck by a car and had died.

However, after the police ascertained that Carter had died within the residence, Bailey and her boyfriend Kevin Spencer, 30, were detained on suspicion of Carter's murder. It took over two months for his body to be discovered.

In a statement, the Philadelphia Police mentioned, “The Special Victims Unit (SVU) initiated an investigation on December 30, 2023, following information received from a media outlet regarding a missing child in the West Philadelphia area, despite no prior reports of the missing child, SVU investigators commenced a thorough inquiry.”

Dominique Bailey and boyfriend accused of little Damari's murder

Court documents state that Damari's mother, Dominique Bailey, and her boyfriend, Kevin Spencer, are accused of several crimes, including murder.

On January 4, police brought Bailey in to question her regarding her role in her son's death. In January, Bailey and Spencer were accused of the boy's death, CBS News reported.

Bailey and Spencer face allegations of murder, and conspiracy, putting children's welfare in jeopardy, abusing a corpse, fabricating reports, and tampering with evidence. Their court date is June 18. 

Carter might have been fatally beaten. But as of Wednesday, May 1, authorities had not given a reason for the death, WPVI reports.