Nationwide — A 3-year-old boy’s father and stepmother were arrested after the boy was allegedly beaten to death in January and secretly buried in Lake, Mississippi. Authorities found the body months later after a family member raised concerns.According to WLBT, the boy was last seen by extended family in late January but was never officially reported missing. He was supposed to be living with his father, Rodkis Fenderson, and stepmother, Kierra Patrick, in Lake, Mississippi.
On Thursday, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about the missing child. Investigators later found out that the child had allegedly died on January 26 after Fenderson beat him.
Fenderson and Patrick told family members conflicting stories about the child’s whereabouts. The next day, Fenderson showed deputies where the body was buried.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, Mississippi State University’s Anthropology Department, and the Mississippi Crime Scene Unit worked together to recover the remains.
Fenderson now faces a murder charge, while Patrick has been charged as an accessory after the fact.