DAYTON, OH - Authorities confirmed that remains found over the last weekend are believed to be that of a seven-year-old boy with autism, and now two people, including his mother, have been charged in his death.
Dayton police said that seven-year-old Hershall Creachbaum, who is autistic and uses a wheelchair, was reported kidnapped Saturday morning, July 12th, on Xenia Avenue, WLWT reported.
Multiple crews searched the area and as the investigation unfolded, it was revealed that Creachbaum hadn't been seen for several weeks, turning the search into a homicide investigation.
Authorities said they later learned that Creachbaum was not actually missing and instead, had been dead for several weeks.
Remains were found a short distance away on McClure Street and are believed to be Creachbaum.
"This callousness shown in this situation towards this child is horrendous and truly evil," Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal said.
Police have arrested two people, including the child's mother. Both individuals have been charged in the little boy's death. Michael Kendrick, 38, has been charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
The chief added that Kendrick's criminal history includes charges of aggravated arson, theft, and having weapons under disability.
His relationship to Creachbaum is unknown at this time.
Creachbaum's mother, Ashley Johnson, has been charged with obstruction of justice and failure to report a death.
She also has a prior record of theft. Afzal said the charges are preliminary, and that they are working with prosecutors and the coroner's office; more charges may be forthcoming based on a forensic exam of the boy's remains.
Court documents filed on Monday, July 14th, reveal new information about what Johnson and Kendrick said happened, WHIOTV reported.
Initially, on July 12th, Kendrick called 911 and reported that Creachbaum had been kidnapped from their front porch. Kendrick, Johnson, and another man were then all brought in for interviews with police.
Police wrote in an affidavit that they learned Creachbaum was dead after speaking with Johnson. "She advised that the death took place sometime while she was in the hospital having surgery in late May," court documents state.
At that time, Creachbaum was in the custody of Kendrick, who allegedly told Johnson he died of natural causes and that he had "disposed of his body in an unknown location by railroad tracks."
While interviewing Kendrick, police said he allegedly admitted to punching the boy in the head twice.
"He then pushed him down, causing him to bounce off the floor and striking other parts of his body," court documents state, noting that Kendrick claimed the boy died the next day in the shower.
Police wrote that Kendrick allegedly admitted to keeping the boy's body in the home "until he started to smell at which time he placed him in a deep freezer."
"He then took him out, stuffed him into a suitcase and disposed of his boy in a grassy field near train tracks. He then after a few weeks went back and recovered the bones.
He placed them in a bag and put them in the 100 block of McClure St.," the affidavit states.
Afzal said that it was their understanding that Johnson had custody of the boy at the time of his death.
