BABY JOE: Deputy called to Daniels property after car parts found in ditch

DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Dickson County deputy responded to the property of Joseph Daniels, a short time after the state rested its case against Daniels, the man on trial for the murder of his five-year-old son, Joe Clyde.

Dickson County Sheriff Tim Eads tells News 2 that a private investigator hired by the defense found car parts in a ditch near the Daniels’ property. Deputies have been called to the scene to investigate the items.

Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are not involved in this most recent search at the Daniels’ home.

News 2 reached out to the private investigator who tells us that he has handed over new evidence to a deputy at the site and is going to the Sheriff’s Office to give a statement. He tells us that he is “seeking the truth for Baby Joe.”

Joseph Daniels called 911 on the morning of April 4, 2018, to report Joe Clyde had “escaped” from the family’s home on Garners Creek Road in Dickson County.

The night of April 6, he confessed to investigators during a recorded interview that he killed the five-year-old, who was non-verbal and had autism, then dumped his body in a rural area.

Jake Lockert, the public defender representing Joseph Daniels, has argued his client’s confession was coerced and it has since been recanted, but the judge allowed it to be played for the jury and used as evidence at the trial.

Closing arguments will begin Friday morning. News 2 has a crew on the way to the Daniels’ property and we will update when we have more information.

News 2 will have live streaming coverage of Joseph Daniels’ trial at WKRN.com. Josh Breslow will be joined by News 2’s legal expert, Grover Collins to provide analysis on the trial from the opening statements to the verdict.