INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD detectives have arrested a 37-year-old man for his involvement in his son's disappearance and death.
According to a probable cause affidavit, two people — a friend and a distant relative — called police and said Dibiah had called them saying he had killed his own son, 10-year-old Nakota Kelly. The first call to police came July 18 from the relative. Police went to Dibiah's apartment to do a welfare check around 10 p.m. No one answered after they knocked on the door, but officers heard someone inside, determined they didn't have reason for forced entry and left.
The second call came July 19, from the friend. The friend said Dibiah asked to borrow a suitcase, and after the friend said yes, Dibiah called back and said he suffocated his son using a bag. The friend said Dibiah then told him he took the boy's body to the bathroom to make sure he was dead, dumped it, and had left the state.
When police got to Dibiah's apartment on Indy's west side around 11:45 a.m. on July 19, there was a crime scene, but neither Dibiah nor his son were there. Officers found blood and brain matter in the bathroom and blood in the bedroom of the apartment.
Officers knew Dibiah was traveling west based on cellphone information. The Missouri State Highway Patrol found Dibiah in Missouri around 4 p.m. that same day. Nakota was not in the car with him, and troopers took him to the Macon County Jail in Macon, Missouri. IMPD detectives went to Missouri to follow up and found evidence leading them to believe the boy has died. They are still looking for his remains.
A case worker who was working with Nakota told police she had recently received a documented complaint from Nakota's mother. It showed on July 14, Nakota told his mother, "Oh, I’m dead. Don’t expect me to come home," when the boy found out he'd be spending the weekend of July 19 with his dad. When his mother asked what he meant, he said, "My dad is going to kill me."
The boy said his dad was angry at him because he hung up the phone when he didn't want to talk to his dad.
The mother sent another complaint to the social worker on the afternoon of July 19, saying Dibiah sent a text message to her that said, "Sometimes I hear voices. My son is in Heaven."
When police spoke to the initial caller — the distant relative — he said he and Diabiah had not spoken for nearly 20 years until they reconnected about a month ago. In the last month, Dibiah told him he had been facing custody issues with Nakota. When Dibiah called to say he had killed Nakota, he said it was because Nakota's mother had given him a hard time and cost him a lot of money in court.
Dibiah was arrested Monday and he has been charged with murder.
Anyone with information in the case should call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.
