In the early morning hours of April 4, 2018, a 911 call was placed from a home on Garners Creek Road in Dickson, Tennessee. Joseph Daniels Sr. reported that his five-year-old son, Joseph 'Joe' Clyde Daniels III, who was autistic and non-verbal, was missing. He claimed that when he and his wife, Krystal, went to wake Joe for school, they discovered he was gone. He suggested to the dispatcher that his son may have unlocked the door and wandered off during the night. An extensive search was launched for the little boy, but as the days went on, the focus of the investigation began to shift from a missing person case to a criminal one. The community held out hope for Joe's safe return, unaware of the grim reality that was about to unfold.
The investigation took a dark turn just a few days after Joe was reported missing. On April 7, 2018, Joseph Daniels Sr. was charged with criminal homicide in connection with his son's disappearance. Shortly after, Joe's mother, Krystal Daniels, was also arrested and faced charges of aggravated child neglect, filing a false report, and criminal responsibility. It was revealed that Joseph had confessed to beating his son to death. Krystal later admitted to being present when her son was killed, stating she heard a scream and then silence, and saw Joseph standing over Joe's body. Joseph's story about what happened to his son's body changed multiple times, at one point claiming he had left him in a field and at another, that he had thrown him off a bridge. Despite numerous searches, Joe Clyde Daniels' remains have never been found.
The legal proceedings that followed painted a harrowing picture of the young boy's final moments. Joseph Daniels Sr. later recanted his confession, claiming it was coerced. However, his older son testified that he witnessed his father beat Joe after the younger boy had urinated on the floor. In June 2021, a jury found Joseph Daniels Sr. guilty of second-degree murder, felony murder, aggravated child abuse, evidence tampering, and initiating a false report. He was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2022, Krystal Daniels entered a no-contest plea to charges of aggravated child abuse, conspiracy, making a false report, and tampering with evidence, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The case led to the passing of the 'Joe Clyde Daniels Act' in Tennessee, which makes it more difficult for individuals convicted of homicide to be granted parole if they do not reveal the location of their victim's remains. The disappearance and death of Joe Clyde Daniels left a profound impact on the Dickson community, a tragic story of a vulnerable child lost to violence at the hands of his own parents.
Last Seen: Apr 04, 2018
