Dickson County, Tennessee boy, Joe Clyde Daniels, was beaten to death by his father before his body was disposed of, court documents have revealed.
Over the weekend, Joseph Ray Daniels was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide in the 5-year-old’s disappearance.
According to court documents, Daniels admitted to striking Joe Clyde "repeatedly... with [a] closed fist" until the boy died. He received injuries to his upper torso, head and face.
Daniels then allegedly placed his body in the trunk of his car and disposed of it in a rural area.
Joe Clyde had been reported missing last week, prompting the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to issue an endangered child alert.
After several days of searching, the elder Daniels was charged.
The boy’s body has not yet been found.
Joe Clyde’s grandmother spoke with Scripps station WTVF in Nashville over the weekend, saying that she has been cooperating with law enforcement after her stepson was arrested in the case.
“It’s shocking because you raise a child from way back, and you think you know him. You don’t think your child could kill his own baby," said Belle Daniels.
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Father Charged With Homicide In Dickson Boy's Disappearance
Joe Clyde Daniels' Grandmother: 'It's A Nightmare'
