Mother Who Tried to Kiss 4-Year-Old Son Goodnight Before Realizing He Was Beaten to Death by Her Boyfriend Helped Concoct Fake Accident Story

A Philadelphia mother, Dominique Bailey, 33, and her boyfriend, Kevin Spencer, 33, were both convicted in connection with the 2023 horrific beating death and subsequent cover-up of her 4-year-old son, Damari Carter.

Court records obtained by Law & Crime revealed that Bailey witnessed Spencer violently beating her son, leaving the child with a severely swollen head and black eyes. The mother testified that she only realized her 4-year-old son was dead when she went to kiss him goodnight.

Rather than calling emergency services or reporting the crime, Bailey and Spencer concocted a fraudulent story claiming the child had died in a car crash.

Surveillance footage from a doorbell camera later captured Spencer dragging a duffel bag containing Damari's body out of the residence. The child's remains were ultimately discovered packed inside a duffel bag.

Following their trial in Philadelphia, both individuals were found guilty of multiple counts: third-degree murder, conspiracy, abuse of a corpse, false reporting to law enforcement, and tampering with evidence.

The official police investigation into Damari’s murder began on December 30, 2023.

Bailey told her family that her son had been struck and killed by a car. However, the family grew deeply suspicious when she failed to hold a funeral or memorial service. After contacting local children's hospitals and finding no record of Damari ever being admitted, a family member called a local news station with a tip, which prompted law enforcement involvement.

On December 30, 2023, family members formally reported Damari missing to the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit, noting they had not seen the child since around his birthday on November 25.

Detectives immediately ran checks on local traffic incidents and hospital admissions and found absolutely no evidence or records supporting Bailey’s claim that a child had been hit by a car.

On January 4, 2024, investigators located Bailey and took her into custody for questioning.

The following day, January 5, she acknowledged her involvement and admitted to police that she had seen her boyfriend frequently and violently beat the boy.

Following her confession, police executed a search warrant at Spencer's apartment, taking him into custody.

Though the investigation and search for Damari's body began intensely in early January, his severely decomposed remains were not recovered by city workers until March 18, 2024, inside a duffel bag in a trash-strewn West Philadelphia alleyway.

The defendants are expected to be sentenced on Dec. 4.