The police have charged two people in connection with a missing 7-year-old boy and wheelchair user who was found dead. According to WLWT, young Hershall Creachbaum had been dead for at least several weeks before they found him.
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Two Charged In Connection With 7-Year-Old Autistic Wheelchair User’s Death
Dayton Police Department previously revealed that Creachbaum was reported kidnapped the morning of Saturday, July 12. Then, in a press conference on Monday, Police Chief Kamran Afzal reported that they found Creachbaum’s body later that same day. They believed that he had already been dead for weeks at that point.
“This callousness shown in this situation towards this child is horrendous and truly evil,” said Afzal.
After a thorough investigation, the authorities discovered that Creachbaum had actually been missing for a much longer period than initially reported. Since this discovery, police arrested the boy’s mother, Ashley Johnson, and 38-year-old Michael Kendrick. Kendrick is allegedly the mother’s boyfriend.
The authorities charged the mother with obstructing justice and failure to report a death. We also know she has a theft on her record.
They then charged the man with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. His criminal history was also extensive, showing charges of aggravated arson, theft, and having weapons under disability.
According to Afzal, these are preliminary charges. They are currently working with prosecutors and the coroner’s office to possibly place additional charges on the two criminals. They have to wait for the results of the forensic exam of the boy’s remains.
Court Documents Reveal Horrifying Truth
Court documents obtained by Law & Crime stated that Johnson told police Kendrick was caring for her wheelchair-bound son in May while she was undergoing surgery. Although the boyfriend initially told police Creachbaum died of natural causes, he later admitted to something worse.
Kendrick admitted to allegedly punching the child. This was before he “pushed him down, causing him to bounce off the floor and striking other parts of his body.” He then alleged that Creachbaum died later on in the shower.
Worst of all, Kendrick soon revealed he kept the child’s body in the home “until he started to smell.” He later allegedly put his remains in a freezer. Kendrick then stuffed the boy’s remains in a suitcase and disposed of them. Weeks later, he would go back to his disposal site and move them somewhere else, which is where police recovered them.
PEOPLE reported that Afzal mentioned Creachbaum having a sister living in the same home as him. Child services have since taken her from the home and are caring for her.