Georgia · Marietta, Cobb County · Crime & Courts
Dairon Keith Indicted on Murder Charges in Marietta, GA: Messiah Harris, 2
A Cobb County grand jury has returned an eight-count indictment against the man who reported a 2-year-old boy missing in Marietta on Aug. 7. The boy was found dead in the woods the same day. Keith is indicted, not convicted.
Key facts
- What
- A grand jury indicted a man on murder charges in the death of a 2-year-old boy found dead in Marietta
- Who died
- Messiah Harris, 2, of Marietta
- Indicted
- Dairon Keith, 23 — the boyfriend of the boy's mother, per police
- Counts
- Eight — malice murder, two counts of first-degree cruelty to children, three counts of felony murder, plus aggravated battery and aggravated assault
- Grand jury
- Cobb County
- Indictment
- Sealed by the clerk's office at the district attorney's request, per the AJC
- When returned
- Thursday, per the AJC and Atlanta News First; WSB-TV reports court records show the charges upgraded Friday
- Earlier charges
- Concealing the death of another and making false statements
- Custody
- Held without bond, Cobb County Jail
- Lead agency
- Marietta Police Department
- Presumption
- Keith is indicted, not convicted. Nothing has been proven in court
What is Dairon Keith now charged with?
A Cobb County grand jury has indicted the man who reported Messiah Harris missing on murder charges, Atlanta News First reported. The boy was 2 years old. He was found dead in a wooded area near a Marietta apartment complex on Aug. 7, hours after the report.
Dairon Keith, 23, is the boyfriend of the boy's mother and was watching him when he died, police said, according to Atlanta News First. Keith was arrested soon after on two felonies, neither of them a homicide count.
Keith has been indicted. He has not been convicted, no trial has been held, and nothing in the indictment has been tested in front of a judge or a jury. He is presumed innocent unless and until the case is proven in court.
Atlanta News First reported that he is being held in the Cobb County Jail without bond. WSB-TV, which spells his first name Darion, reported that he remains in the county jail.
What counts are in the indictment?
Eight. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed them from Cobb County court records:
- One count of malice murder
- Two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree
- Three counts of felony murder
- One count of aggravated battery
- One count of aggravated assault
The indictment itself cannot be read by the public. The Cobb County clerk's office sealed it at the district attorney's request, in order to shield the identity of the child, the AJC reported, citing a record restriction notice in the court docket.
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When did the grand jury act?
Accounts differ by a day. The AJC reported that a Cobb County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment on Thursday, citing court records, and Atlanta News First also dated the indictment to Thursday. WSB-TV reported that Cobb County court records show the charges were upgraded on Friday.
Either way, the murder counts were already in the court file before the weekend. The arrest that put Keith in the Cobb County Jail came on Aug. 8, and on far lesser charges.
Who was Messiah Harris?
He was two, and he lived in Marietta. His funeral is set for Aug. 22 — his third birthday, the AJC reported.
Relatives held a news conference at Marietta Square on Wednesday, Aug. 12, the AJC reported. Our earlier report sets out what was known in the days after he was found.
What happened in Marietta on Aug. 7?
Messiah was reported missing from an apartment complex off Franklin Gateway SE, and his body was found in a wooded area nearby hours later, Atlanta News First reported. Keith made that report.
Keith is accused of putting the boy's body in the woods and covering him with dirt and leaves, Atlanta News First reported. WSB-TV reported that police believe the boy was already dead, for “a considerable amount of time,” before the 911 call.
What was Keith charged with before?
Two felonies, filed shortly after the boy was found: concealing the death of another, and making false statements, Atlanta News First reported. Neither one accused him of causing a death.
The indictment is what changed that. Among the counts a grand jury returned last week is malice murder.
Which agencies are handling the case?
The Marietta Police Department, a city agency inside Cobb County, investigated the boy's death and brought the original charges. The prosecution sits with the Cobb County district attorney's office, which took the case to the county grand jury and asked the clerk to seal what it returned, the AJC reported.
What we don't know yet
- Whether the two counts Keith was arrested on this month remain part of the case
- What prompted the upgraded charges
- What the medical examiner determined as the cause and manner of death
- The exact day the grand jury acted — the AJC and Atlanta News First put it on Thursday, WSB-TV on Friday
- What the aggravated battery and aggravated assault counts allege
- Whether Keith has an attorney of record, and what he says about the accusation
- When he is next due in court, and whether he will seek bond on the new counts
Frequently asked questions
Who has been indicted?
Dairon Keith, 23. Police describe him as the boyfriend of Messiah Harris's mother. He is indicted, not convicted.
What is in the indictment?
Eight counts: malice murder, two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, three counts of felony murder, plus aggravated battery and aggravated assault. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed them from court records.
Does an indictment mean he is guilty?
No. An indictment is an accusation returned by a grand jury. Keith has not been convicted, no trial has been held, and he is presumed innocent unless and until the case is proven in court.
When did the grand jury act?
Accounts differ by a day. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a Cobb County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment on Thursday, citing court records. Atlanta News First also dated the indictment to Thursday. WSB-TV reported that Cobb County court records show the charges were upgraded on Friday.
Who was Messiah Harris?
A 2-year-old boy from Marietta. His funeral is set for Aug. 22, which would have been his third birthday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
When and where was he found?
On Aug. 7, 2026. Atlanta News First reported that he was found in woods beside an apartment complex off Franklin Gateway SE in Marietta. He had been reported missing hours earlier.
What was Keith arrested on in August?
Concealing the death of another and making false statements, Atlanta News First reported. Those were the charges filed shortly after the boy was found.
Is Dairon Keith in custody?
Yes. Atlanta News First reported that he is being held in the Cobb County Jail without bond.
Why can the public not read the indictment?
It is sealed. The Cobb County clerk's office sealed it at the district attorney's request, in order to shield the identity of the child, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing a record restriction notice in the court docket.
Which agency investigated the boy's death?
The Marietta Police Department, a city agency in Cobb County.
Is his first name spelled Dairon or Darion?
Atlanta News First and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spell it Dairon. WSB-TV spells it Darion.
Sources
- Atlanta News First — the indictment on murder charges; Keith's age and the police account of his role; the Thursday date; the Franklin Gateway SE complex; held without bond
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — the eight counts from court records; the Cobb County grand jury's true bill; the sealed indictment; the Aug. 22 funeral
- WSB-TV — court records showing the charges upgraded Friday; the “considerable amount of time” account; the Darion spelling
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from named news outlets, each linked above. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Dairon Keith has been indicted and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. No one else has been accused in this case. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
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