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'My dad is going to kill me' 10-year-old told his mother days before father allegedly killed him

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Posted at 11:43 AM, Jul 21, 2020
and last updated 2021-01-14 19:51:48-05

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man is accused of murdering his 10-year-old son, although the boy's body has not been found.

Indianapolis Police arrested Anthony Dibiah, 37, on Monday for his involvement in the disappearance and death of his son, Nakota Kelly.

Officers were initially called to a home in the 6000 block of West Lake South Drive just after 10 p.m. on July 18 for a welfare check after a caller claimed their distant relative had just admitted to killing their son, according to court documents filed against Dibiah. Officers knocked on the door that evening and could hear someone inside, but they did not have reason to force entry and left the building. At that time, Dibiah's vehicle was still parked in the parking lot.

Officers were again called to the home just after 11:43 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, for a welfare check after police received another call stating that Dibiah had killed his son, according to those court documents. This time, the vehicle was no longer parked in the lot and because of the second caller, officers determined they had "exigent circumstances" to enter the apartment and check the welfare of the people inside.

Officers found a crime scene inside the home but neither Dibiah nor Nakota were there.

IMPD homicide detectives and child abuse detectives were both called to the scene based on the evidence found inside the home. The Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency and Marion County Coroner were also called to assist with evidence inside the home, which included blood splattering and other bodily evidence, according to court documents. Based on the evidence found inside the home, police believe Nakota is no longer alive.

According to those court documents, Dibiah had made at least two separate phone calls to two different people on both July 18 and July 19, saying he had killed Nakota. One of the people Dibiah had called stated that during their conversation, Dibiah had asked to borrow a suitcase and then said he had suffocated his son with a bag until he stopped breathing. Dibiah then told the person that he took his son to the bathroom to "make sure he was dead" and then dumped the body.

On July 19 at approximately 4:00 p.m. the Missouri State Highway Patrol located Dibiah with his vehicle, a white-colored Jeep Patriot near Highway 38 in Missouri, proceeding away from Indiana.

IMPD Detectives went to Missouri to follow up on the investigation, although Dibiah refused to give a statement to the police. He was arrested and is currently charged with murder.

Court documents filed against Dibliah also detail that Nakota's mother had filed a complaint to DCS around July 14 stating that Nakota had made a concerning statement to her when she told him he was going to stay with his father for the weekend. Nakota had responded by saying "Oh, I'm dead. Don't expect me to come home." and "My dad is going to kill me" according to those documents, and explained that his father was angry at him because he hung up on him.

The mother had again contacted the DCS caseworker on July 19 saying she had received a text message from Dibiah saying "Sometimes I hear voices. My son is in Heaven."

IMPD detectives are still searching for Nakota's remains.

Police are asking the community for assistance in this case and ask that anyone with information or who may have seen Anthony Dibiah since July 18 please contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.