A Philadelphia mother and her boyfriend are facing charges in connection to the death of her child, who was reported missing by a family member late last month, reports said.

Authorities started to look into the disappearance of 4-year-old Damari Carter after receiving a report on Saturday, Dec. 30. The child was last seen in West Philadelphia.

His mother, 28-year-old Dominique Bailey, claimed that he was hit by a car, telling relatives that he passed away, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Family members started to dig for information related to his death but couldn’t find concrete evidence in the news or hospitals. That’s when they were able to get in touch with a reporter who notified authorities about the situation.

Investigators decided to interview Bailey and learned the initial story was bogus. She allegedly admitted that her boyfriend played a role in her child’s death, the outlet reported.

NBC Philadelphia reported that officials took her boyfriend, 30-year-old Kevin Spencer, into custody after carrying out a search at their home. They were both charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, false reports, and abuse of a corpse. 

In addition, Spencer was also charged with criminal conspiracy and tampering with evidence. Bailey and her child moved to the city from the South last year. Following a dispute with her father, she left and stayed with Spencer. The two connected on social media, according to the Inquirer.

City Police Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom told People that a neighbor apparently overheard Carter “screaming” during a beating on Dec. 7 and considered the last trace of the child. Security cameras captured Spencer the following day as he exited the apartment with a trash bag. 

When speaking to investigators, Bailey noted when her boyfriend beat her son the final time, Carter’s eyes were severely bruised, and his head was swollen, the outlet reported. Spencer is accused of discarding the body in the garbage.

The two have not revealed the location of the body to investigators. Despite their thorough search, looking through alleyways and dumpsters, authorities have yet to recover it, per the Inquirer.

Aiyana Parrish, the child’s cousin who reached out to the reporter, described Carter as a “sweet” boy who was “always smiling, laughing, dancing around,” People reported.

The child’s father, Darryle Carter, explained that he and Bailey were in a long-term relationship for six years before they parted ways and she moved to Philly, local news reported. The former couple met in Texas, where he currently resides.

According to the report, Darryle, who never met Spencer, tried to call his child for his birthday on Nov. 25, but he had no luck, and he said it “hurt my heart.” Now, he is faced with the obstacle of not being able to afford to fly to Philly.

“Now this hit me, and I don’t have any money to take a flight and hurry my way to Philadelphia,” Darryle said to NBC. “I just couldn’t do it.”