Where is Baby Joe? No sign of him 6 years later
DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – Where is Baby Joe? It’s a question that still lingers six years later.
“Sometimes it’s like, ‘Why can’t you find him?’ The big thing is you try,” Dickson County Sheriff Tim Eads explained.
It’s an investigation Eads took over as he came into office.
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“We remain hopeful that, at some point, we will find Baby Joe’s remains,” he said.
Hope is what investigators and the community are left with, that 5-year-old Joe Clyde Daniels will be found.
“You like to have something totally resolved, and that is our hope and continued hope. We do stay positive about that. We are not giving up,” the sheriff said.
The searches, however, have since ended, with investigators saying they haven’t received any credible leads in years as to where the boy affectionately known as “Baby Joe” may be.
“There’s just no information right now to warrant a search of anywhere at this point,” stated Eads.
The child’s father, Joseph Daniels, confessed to fatally beating his son who had autism and was non-verbal. He told investigators that he then dumped his body in a rural area.
“A jury thinks he did it; they’ve convicted him of it,” Eads said, adding that Joseph should let investigators know where the boy is.
Large-scale search continues for Sebastian Rogers
Joseph’s confession played before a jury that ultimately found the father guilty of felony murder.
“At any time, he can do the right thing. I know he’s maybe betting on appeals,” Eads said.
Appellate briefs asking for a new trial are filed, arguing that the father’s confession was coerced and was a false confession.
“We are prepared if we had to have another trial. I feel confident in the things I’ve seen and know, that I can’t speak to, that it will result in another conviction,” Eads said.
Now, six years after Baby Joe’s disappearance, another child is being searched for in Sumner County. As teams relentlessly search for Sebastian Rogers, Eads said they know all too well how a case like this can weigh on the community.
“It’s apparent with Sumner County that people have emotionally got involved with having that case resolved and our hearts certainly go out to them as well,” Eads said.
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Former Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe, who led the search efforts for Baby Joe, released the following statement to News 2:
“I regularly think of Joe Clyde Daniels and his tragic death at the hands of his father. I am not saying it is the same, however, investigations like the one in Sumner County with Sebastian Rogers remind me of what we have and continue to experience. I often pray we will learn of the location his father placed his body, and have closure with some type of service to honor his memory.
“Comfort is given in Romans 12:12 (NIV):
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
The father of Joe Clyde Daniels should do what is right and allow his son to have a proper place of rest. To have forgiveness this step must be taken.”
Former Sumner County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe
Joseph was sentenced to life in prison. The court of criminal appeals will likely make a decision later this year concerning a potential new trial.
The child’s mother, Krystal Daniels, entered a no contest plea for her role and received a 15-year sentence.
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