What to Know
- Damari Carter was last seen alive in early December but wasn't reported missing until Dec. 30, 2023.
- His remains were found in a duffel bag in March 2024 less than half a mile from where he lived with his mother and her boyfriend.
- The couple is charged with murder in his death.
A child that was found dead in a duffel bag in West Philadelphia in March was identified as Damari Carter, a 4-year-old boy who went missing in late December more than a week before his mother and her boyfriend were charged in his murder, police confirmed with NBC10 on Wednesday.
The investigation began on Dec. 30, 2023, after the Special Victims Unit received a report that Carter had gone missing in West Philadelphia.
Officials said Damari’s mother, 30-year-old Dominique Bailey, had told her family members that her son had been struck and killed by a car. Investigators didn’t find any evidence supporting that claim, however.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
The death of Damari Carter
On Jan. 4, 2024, investigators found Bailey and brought her in for questioning. The next day, Bailey told police she was involved in her son’s death, according to investigators.
Police executed a search warrant that same day at a home on the 3800 block of Reno Street. They arrested 30-year-old Kevin Spencer – who family members say is Bailey’s boyfriend – during the search and took him into custody.
Both Bailey and Spencer were then charged with murder, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of children, criminal use of communication facility, abuse of corpse, false report and tampering with evidence. Damari remained missing, however.
Then, on March 18, workers with the Community Life Improvement Program were cleaning along the 600 block of North 38th Street in West Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood when they found a duffel bag. They then discovered the remains of a child inside.
Investigators later determined that the remains of the child were of Damari Carter.
A preliminary hearing for Bailey and Spencer is scheduled for June 18, 2024. NBC10 reached out to their attorneys for statements on their behalf. We will include those statements once we hear back from them.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
Father of Damari Carter speaks out
In January, NBC10 spoke with Damari's father, Darryle Carter.
Carter said he had dated Bailey for six years after they met in Texas but they broke up last year. After they broke up, Bailey moved back to West Philadelphia and took their son Damari with her, according to Carter.
Carter said he tried to reach out to his son on his birthday on Nov. 25, 2023, and didn’t hear from him after that.
“What hurt my heart is when I tried to get in touch with him on his birthday,” Carter told NBC10 on Sunday.
Carter also said he never met Spencer.
“You know I was happy that they found [Bailey],” Carter said. “But then I was surprised that there was this other guy. I have no idea who this guy is. Never met him before.”
Damari’s cousin, Aiyana Parrish, also told NBC10 at the time that the family feared the boy had been beaten to death.
“That’s what the police report was saying that she said is that he had a swelled head and two black eyes,” Parrish said. “I guess that’s how she came about with saying he was beaten on. He was being abused.”
