MARIETTA, Ga. — Neighbors say they are heartbroken over the death of a 2-year-old boy. And they can’t believe his caretaker now faces charges in connection with his disappearance.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
People who live at the Briggs at Powers Park apartments in Marietta have added to a memorial on the porch where 2-year-old Messiah Harris lived. They say it’s so sad that Messiah won’t be coming back through his front door.
“It’s very heartbroken because it’s a little kid. See what I’m saying. It’s a child. Like what can make anyone do that?” Matt Ducre said.
Marietta police found Messiah’s body in some woods behind the apartments Friday evening. His small body covered with vegetation and dirt.
“This is the worst ending that we could have possibly asked for,” Marietta police spokesman Chuch McPhilamy said.
Police have now arrested 23-year-old Dairon Keith, the boyfriend of Messiah’s mother, in connection with the child’s disappearance.
Keith made the 911 call reporting Messiah missing Friday afternoon. He now faces Concealing a Death and False Statements. Both are felonies.
Officers say he admitted Messiah was dead before he placed that emergency call. Police are now waiting on the medical examiner to finish their report.
RELATED STORIES:
- 2-year-old found dead in metro Atlanta, suspect denied bond
- Mother’s boyfriend arrested for concealing missing 2-year-old’s death, police say
- ‘That crushed me:’ Neighbors shocked by death of 2-year-old reported missing
“And we will have to work with the medical examiner to determine what actually took place,” McPhilamy said.
Ducre said Messiah and his family had recently moved into the complex.
“He was always happy when I seen him,” Ducre said.
Neighbors recalled Messiah as a child who was always smiling, and looking forward to his third birthday, which was coming up. They say Keith was always with the child and would speak to people when they walked by.
But Ducre says he never warmed up to him.
“I never talked to him because I always felt bad energy so I just never really said anything to him,” he said.
Police say charges for Keith could be upgraded. Their investigation continues.
Click here if you would like to contribute to a fund set up to assist Messiah’s family during this difficult time.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
