DICKSON, Tenn. — The search for a missing Tennessee boy with autism has come to a heartbreaking end.
TRENDING NOW:
- Son of former Penguins defenseman one of 15 killed in Canada bus crash
- Man shot, killed in Wilkinsburg
- Dozens evacuated after apartment building collapses near Route 30
- VIDEO: One person dead, four firefighters hurt after fire at Trump Tower
Multiple law enforcement agencies had been searching for Joe Clyde Daniels, 5, of Dickson County, for three days.
>> Visit Fox13Memphis.com for the latest on this developing story
On Saturday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation held a news conference to announce that the boy's father, Joseph Ray Daniels, 28, had been arrested in connection with the death of his son.
Officials said the father killed the boy and hid the body several days ago.
In an official statement, the TBI said the following:
"Joe Clyde Daniels was reported missing by his parents the morning of Wednesday, April 4th. At the request of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office, the TBI issued an Endangered Child Alert, and law enforcement agencies, search and rescue organizations, and citizen volunteers began an exhaustive search in the area of his residence. On April 6th, at the request of 23rd District Attorney General Ray Crouch, TBI Agents opened an investigation into criminal conduct. During the course of the investigation, and after a three-day search, it was determined that the child’s father, Joseph Daniels, intentionally killed his son sometime during the night of April 3-4, in their residence and then hid his son’s body."
Joseph Ray Daniels is currently being held on $1 million bond and is charged with criminal homicide.
Though this news is profoundly disappointing, we are grateful for the volunteers who gave time and resources this week to help search for Joe Clyde. That work will continue by law enforcement today, so we might provide a small degree of closure for his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/i8OmU0gte9
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) April 7, 2018
Cox Media Group