Amari Nicholson: Mom says she ‘never knew anything’ after boyfriend confesses to murdering missing 2-year-old

The mother of a missing but presumed dead toddler says she had no idea her boyfriend, who recently confessed to killing the child, had harmed him.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Terrell Rhodes, the boyfriend of 2-year-old Amari’s mother, is currently being behind bars for allegedly murdering the boy. Armani’s body has still not been found but police are continuing their search after Rhodes reportedly gave them the wrong location.

Armani disappeared on May 6 while staying at the Emerald Suites in Las Vegas with Rhodes. Amari’s mother, Tayler Nicholson, was reportedly in Colorado at the time, helping her family.

Rhodes initially told authorities that a woman knocked on his door at 6 a.m. on May 6 and said she was the sister of Amari’s father, and was there to take the boy with her.

Nicholson said she admitted she told Rhodes that “someone would be stopping by” after the couple got into an argument, prior to her leaving for Colorado. Nicholson never said who would be stopping by or why, but Rhodes said he still had the message “in his head” when the woman picked up Amari.

Rhodes said he tried to call Nicholson to confirm, but she was still sleeping and didn’t answer the call.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Nicholson posted on Facebook Tuesday night that she “never knew anything” about what happened to her son or what Rhodes did to him. The Facebook post has since been deleted.

“He did this he never said anything to me about his involvement,” the Facebook post continued. “I trusted him and he betrayed me. He took my whole world from me. My son comes first before anybody!!”

After an investigation, authorities determined that Rhodes “hit the child numerous times, causing his death,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Tim Fattig said during a bail hearing for the defendant on Wednesday morning.

Authorities later found soiled children’s clothing and blood in Rhodes’ apartment.

According to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, Rhodes told authorities where to find Amari’s body after confessing to killing him, but “that proved to be false, so we’re still following up.”

“First and foremost I want to send my condolences to the family,” Joe Lombardo said, according to CBS 8. “Unfortunately, we were informed late in the process with the missing child.”

Lombardi added that it has been difficult locating the victim’s body and the case may likely be a “no body prosecution.”

Rhodes remains behind bars without bail. He’s expected to face additional charges after grabbing an officer’s gun during the arrest process. Authorities said the incident was quickly de-escalated.

Check back for updates.

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