© Provided by New York Daily NewsTerrell Rhodes was arrested for the murder of Amari Nicholson.
The desperate search for a missing toddler in Las Vegas has culminated in a murder charge for his mother's boyfriend, according to authorities.
Terrell Rhodes was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday afternoon, six days after 2-year-old Amari Nicholson seemingly vanished from the Emerald Suites on Paradise Road, according to a press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The boy has not been seen alive since May 5.
"This case started out as a missing persons investigation, and unfortunately, I'm here to tell you today that it is now a homicide," Lt. Richard Meyers told reporters.
"During the course of the investigation, it became clear that the circumstances were suspicious," he continued. "As the investigation progressed, it became very clear to us that Terrell Rhodes was our primary suspect."
Authorities did not say Tuesday whether Amari's remains have been recovered.
Meyers also noted that during his arrest, the 27-year-old suspect "chose to fight with police officers, and during the course of that fight, was briefly able to retrieve an officer's firearm." Additional charges are forthcoming as a result.
The toddler's paternal aunt, Yolanda Everett, told the Las Vegas-Review Journal that Amari was last left in the care of Rhodes, who is in a relationship with the boy's mother. His criminal history includes felony burglary, which he pleaded guilty to in 2017, and felony robbery and battery to commit robbery later the same year.
He was sentenced to a minimum of two years for the robbery and battery in July 2018.
Rhodes previously told authorities a woman claiming to be a relative showed up at their apartment and said she was there to take care of him.
Anyone with information about the case may contact Metro's homicide unit at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.