Body found in duffel bag in Philadelphia identified as 4-year-old reported missing in December: Reports

The body of a child found inside a duffel bag in Philadelphia in March has been identified as that of missing 4-year-old Damari Carter, according to multiple reports.

A worker came across a black Puma bag while cleaning an alleyway in the Mantua section of the city on March 18, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Due to the smell coming from the bag, the worker looked inside to find the decomposed remains of a small child.

The body had been left abandoned for so long that police were unable to immediately determine the age, gender and identity of the child, according to the Inquirer, and the corpse was eventually identified through DNA testing.

Damari's mother, Dominique Bailey, and her boyfriend, Kevin Spencer, are facing multiple charges including murder, local outlets including CBS News Philadelphia reported.

Family members reported Damari missing on Dec. 30, 2023, after not seeing the boy for weeks, reports CBS News Philadelphia. Bailey allegedly told family Damari was struck and killed by a car, but police found no evidence to corroborate her story.

Police said Bailey ultimately confessed to watching Spencer beat her son to the point that he lost consciousness and his forehead was swollen on Dec. 7, according to the Inquirer. Bailey told police that after realizing the child was dead, she and Spencer placed the boy's remains in a trash bag and disposed of them.

The Inquirer reports that Spencer and Bailey never told police where they put the corpse, and that in early January, officials spent days searching the area for Damari's body but had no success. They believed Damari's body had been lost in the city's trash system, never to be found, according to the Inquirer.

The Philadelphia Police Department did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].