Court records indicate past concerns about the welfare of a 12-year-old killed in Bolivar, Mo.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -

Court records and family indicate there were safety concerns long before the beating death of a 12-year-old this week in Bolivar, Mo.

The boy’s father, Chad Baker, faces a first-degree murder charge.

Court documents obtained by KY3 News show Baker was charged twice with endangering the welfare of a child just in the past couple of years. He lived with two sons in the Stockton area. A family member says his wife, the boys’ mother, died a couple years ago.

Family found Logan Baker dead outside his grandparents’ home in Bolivar Sunday night. Investigators say his father attacked him outside a barn. He suffered serious blunt force trauma to the head. They still don’t know why, but say Chad Baker suffers from schizophrenia and they have had concerns in the past about the boys’ safety.

Alivia Azzun, the victim’s cousin, says she called the Missouri Children’s Division, reporting concerns. She says she’s learning others had called as well, including at least one teacher.

“They should have gotten taken away a long time ago,” said Azzun. “The house they were staying at was a wreck. It was not okay for children to be living there. The whole situation was messed up, and if someone would have just like shown up and checked up on them, they would have seen that and they didn’t.”

Azzun says their grandmother called police to the Bolivar home a few months ago, worried about physical violence by Chad Baker. We’ve requested the police report, but no charges were filed, and police say a mental health worker who tried to follow up, was unable to reach Baker.

Cedar County court documents show in October 2019, prosecutors charged Baker with endangering the welfare of a child for driving while under the influence of alcohol with his two boys in the vehicle.

In 2018, also in Cedar county, Baker was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for allowing his older son to fight another boy while he watched. Prosecutors amended the charge to a peace disturbance.

Copyright 2020 KY3. All rights reserved.