The mother of a slain Tennessee boy with autism has been charged with aggravated child neglect or endangerment, investigators announced Monday.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Krystal Nicole Daniels, 27, of Dickson County, was arrested Monday and is being held on a $1 million bond at the Dickson County Jail.
The news came less than a week after multiple law enforcement agencies launched a search for her missing son, 5-year-old Joe Clyde Daniels.
On Saturday, investigators held a news conference to announce that the boy's father, Joseph Ray Daniels, 28, had been charged with criminal homicide in the death of his son.
Officials said the father killed the boy and hid the body. Investigators have not found the boy's remains, WKRN reported.
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.
– WHBQ-TV in Memphis contributed to this report.
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