Police in Syracuse have brought charges against Corrice Parks, the boyfriend of Latasha Mott, for his alleged involvement in concealing the body of 5-year-old Nefertiti Harris. Authorities claim that Mott killed her daughter in early January. Onondaga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Robert Moran reported that Parks surrendered himself on Friday morning, accompanied by legal representation. He is being charged with disposal of a corpse, classified as a class E felony. Due to the nature of the charge, Parks has been given an appearance ticket for April 5, as it is not eligible for bail. This mirrors the charge Mott is facing for allegedly hiding Nefertiti’s body following her death on January 6. Mott admitted to law enforcement that the girl’s body had been concealed in a wooded area after her passing. Nefertiti’s disappearance persisted for some time with Mott providing false information to acquaintances, relatives, and the child’s school until discrepancies in her accounts prompted concerned individuals to reach out to the authorities over the weekend.
Mott has been accused of manslaughter, revealing to investigators that she had struck Nefertiti with a belt in the shower, an action that was deemed to have led to the child’s demise. While the present charge against Mott is manslaughter, it could potentially be elevated pending further developments. After a search exceeding 24 hours at a baseball field near Salt Springs Road in Syracuse, the Onondaga County medical examiner confirmed that Nefertiti’s death was caused by blunt force trauma, classified as a homicide. The case is now set to be presented to a grand jury.
During the recent weekend, police initially interviewed Parks and Mott. Prosecutors stated that Parks was uncooperative at the time and was allowed to depart. Parks has a criminal history in Syracuse spanning back nine years, with involvement in weapons and narcotics offenses. He served a three-year sentence in state prison related to a 2017 conviction for criminal possession of a weapon until his release in August 2020. Additionally, he was imprisoned for one year due to a 2016 charge of possessing a stolen handgun. Court records also indicate a conviction for criminal possession of heroin in 2016.