DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – The father of a 5-year-old boy who was reported missing in Tennessee was charged Saturday with his murder.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported 28-year-old Joseph Ray Daniels intentionally killed Joe Clyde Daniels sometime before Wednesday morning and hid his body.
Investigators are still working to locate Joe Clyde’s body. No motive has been released.
TBI investigators were at the Daniels’ home Saturday morning, treating the area as a crime scene.
Daniels was booked into the Dickson County jail and is being held on a $1 million bond.
Joe Clyde, who has autism, was reported missing by his parents who claimed he was last seen at his home Tuesday night. An Endangered Child Alert was issued by the TBI on Wednesday morning.
His parents told investigators they discovered he was missing when they went to wake him up for school around 5:20 a.m. After searching their home and property for nearly an hour, they called 911 just before 6:30 a.m. to report the boy missing.
Hundreds of volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies have searched for Joe Clyde around-the-clock since early Wednesday morning.
WFLA’s sister station WKRN spoke to the boy’s father by phone Friday afternoon. He said he was afraid his son was “lonely, tired, scared and confused.”
He also told WKRN “Baby Joe,” as the family calls him, had snuck out of their home before, but it was always during the day and he would always be found nearby.
The family said they were praying for the best, but were “really scared.”
Authorities did not initially suspect foul play and sightings deemed credible by the TBI of the boy were reported.
A 3-year-old and an 8-year-old who live in the home are in the custody of their mother.