( CNN ) -- Utah prosecutors announced Friday that they expect to file murder charges against the mother and stepfather of a 4-year-old boy whose disfigured body was found this week in a canyon near Salt Lake City , Utah . Local police said Ethan Sloop 's body was buried in a shallow grave after he had been severely beaten , according to CNN affiliate KUTV . Nathan Sloop , 31 , and Stephanie Sloop , 27 , are being held without bail at a Davis County , Utah , jail . Davis County prosecutor Troy Rawlings said local authorities expect to charge the couple with aggravated murder , child abuse , obstruction of justice and the desecration of a dead body . If convicted , they could both face the death penalty . Authorities delayed an expected filing of charges on Friday , Rawlings said , because `` we do n't want to make any mistake in our charging decision . '' But `` make no mistake : We intend to file formal charges with the court once the evidence we need to substantiate the crimes ... is obtained and submitted and processed . '' Rawlings said he anticipated that charges would be filed in the `` not too distant future . '' Ethan 's father , Joe Stacy , was required by a divorce settlement to send him to spend the summer with his mother , KUTV reported . Joe Stacy and Stephanie Sloop were officially divorced April 28 . Ethan arrived in Utah on May 1 . He was locked in his bedroom while the Sloops were married May 6 , according to court documents reviewed by KUTV . Ethan , who had been beaten by this time , died three days later at the couple 's home in Layton , KUTV reported . Stephanie Sloop reported Ethan missing May 10 ; his body was found the next day . `` It 's like a nightmare come true , '' Brenda James , a friend of Joe Stacy 's , told KUTV . `` I believe that [ Nathan Sloop ] does not deserve to take another breath . ''
Charges planned against the mother , stepfather of 4-year-old boy found dead . Ethan Sloop 's body buried in shallow grave after severe beating , police said . Nathan Sloop , 31 , and Stephanie Sloop , 27 , are being held without bail at Utah jail . Authorities expect to charge couple with aggravated murder , other charges .