A 19-year-old babysitter faces murder and abuse charges after an 11-month-old infant left in his care was found dead inside a Kentucky residence, police said.
Elijah Drew Mayes, 19, stayed in a bedroom at a home on Harrison Avenue in Central City, according to court documents.
Central City Police officers responded around 5:10 p.m. on September 12 to a report of a disturbance at the Harrison Avenue home, authorities said.
Grayson Walton’s father told responding officers that his 11-month-old son was missing, police said. The father reported that he had left the child in Mayes’ care while he was at work.
Officers questioned the 19-year-old at the scene about the missing child, according to investigators.
Mayes allegedly told investigators that a family friend had picked Grayson up around 10 p.m. the previous night, police said.
Officers located the woman Mayes identified, according to police.
She told officers that she never picked up the baby, police said.
Another relative subsequently told investigators that the last time Grayson was seen, the infant was with Mayes at a different residence on Hillview Street in Cleaton that Friday, police said.
Detectives then began obtaining search warrants for the properties, according to court documents.
Police first executed a search warrant on the Harrison Avenue home and a vehicle outside the property, court documents state.
Daycare driver Tametria Norry, accused of leaving 6-year-old Winter Jones to die on hot bus, is released on bond
Exonerated Amanda Knox, jailed 4 years over Meredith Kercher’s murder, defends Patrick Clancy from online conspiracy theorists
Florida woman Lynda Crouse charged with stealing date’s $98K Rolex — as cops uncover four other drugged victims across Miami
Officers located suspected methamphetamine inside a dresser drawer during that search, court documents say. The dresser was located inside a bedroom Mayes’ mother identified as the room where he stayed.
Investigators then obtained a separate search warrant for the Hillview Street home in Cleaton, according to police.
That residence was the same location where the relative reported Grayson had last been seen with the defendant, police said.
Officers entered the Hillview Street home and discovered the 11-month-old child dead inside, police said.
Mayes was arrested on September 13 following the discovery, according to police.
The accused was booked into the Muhlenberg County Detention Center, jail records show.
Mayes faces charges of murder, first-degree criminal abuse, and abuse of a corpse, according to court records. He is also charged with tampering with physical evidence and first-degree possession of a controlled substance involving methamphetamine.
Authorities have not released Grayson’s cause of death or described any injuries the infant suffered, police said.
Investigators have also not detailed what evidence supports the charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, according to police. Those details remain part of an active investigation, and Mayes has not been convicted.
More than a dozen local, state, and federal agencies assisted with the search and the investigation, police said. The assisting agencies included the Kentucky State Police and the FBI.
Mayes is currently being held on a $1 million cash-only bond, according to court records.
The defendant is scheduled to make his next court appearance on September 17, court records state.
No Comments yet!