Mother, boyfriend convicted of killing 4-year-old son, dumping body in duffel bag in Philadelphia

A mother and her boyfriend were convicted of killing her 4-year-old son Damari Carter in 2023 and dumping his body in a duffel bag in Philadelphia.

Dominique Bailey and Kevin Spencer were found guilty of third-degree murder, conspiracy, abuse of corpse and related charges, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Tuesday.

Damari's body was found at a property in the 600 block of North 38th Street in the city's Mantua neighborhood on March 18, 2024. Police at the time said they couldn't determine if there were signs of trauma because the remains were "severely decomposed."

In April 2024, DNA indicated the body was Damari, who had been missing since late December 2023.

Family members reported Damari missing on Dec. 30, 2023, after not seeing the boy since late November around his birthday, prosecutors said.

Investigators said Bailey told family that Damari was struck and killed by a car, but police found no evidence to corroborate her claim.

Bailey was brought in for questioning on Jan. 4, 2024, about her involvement in her son's death. Prosecutors said Bailey told police Spencer was the last one with Damari and was with him when he was struck by a car on 40th and Lancaster. Detectives interviewed Spencer, who they said denied knowing Damari. He then told investigators a similar story about an accident. The investigation found they fabricated the story, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Bailey and Spencer both claimed Children's Hospital of Philadelphia "lost Damari's body," according to a news release. They were arrested and charged in January 2024.

A search warrant at the home Bailey and Spencer were living in on Reno Street in West Philadelphia found no sign of Damari. A witness told investigators they heard the "sounds of a child crying and repeated beatings over several days in late November," a news release said.

Damari was last seen going into the apartment on Dec. 5, 2023, prosecutors said. They said video captured audio of Damari crying and being beaten on Dec. 5, 6 and 7. Spencer was seen walking out with a large trash bag on Dec. 8, 2023, they said.

On Dec. 9, 2023, Spencer was captured on video walking out of the apartment with a black Puma duffel bag, according to prosecutors. They said the investigation found that Spencer deleted videos of Damari with injuries to his head and face on Dec. 7.

Prosecutors said Damari's body was later found in March 2024 in a black Puma duffel bag, wearing the same clothing as in the deleted cellphone video.

Bailey and Spencer will be sentenced on Dec. 4, 2026.