A young man in Kentucky was accused of killing an 11-month-old baby who was under his care while the child's father was working, authorities said.
Elijah Drew Mayes, 19, faces charges of murder, first-degree criminal abuse, manipulation of physical evidence and abuse of a corpse for the death of Grayson Walton.
Central City Police that officers walked around 5:10 p.m. on September 12 to a house on Harrison Avenue square 800, after receiving a report of an alteration.
Upon arrival, the officers talked to Grayson's father, who explained that the baby should be under Mayes' care while he was working.
According to police, Mayes initially assured that another person had picked up the child.
During an interview on the spot, the young man told officers that a family friend had picked up Grayson around 10:00 p.m. on September 11.
The investigators located the woman and talked to her.The alleged caregiver denied having picked up the baby, which led the authorities to continue the interviews.
A family member of Grayson also provided relevant information. He told the investigators that the last time he had seen the child was around 10 p.m. by m. Friday, when he was with Mayes in a house on square 300 of Hillview Street, Cleaton.
The investigators requested an order to register the Harrison Avenue home and a vehicle that was on the spot.
During the inspection, officers found what they identified as methamphetamine inside the home.
Subsequently, they obtained a second registration order for a house and a vehicle located on Hillview Street, about four kilometers away.
It was there that they found Grayson dead inside the house.
Authorities have not how the baby died, nor have they disclosed other details about his injuries.
After the discovery, Mayes was arrested and transferred to the Muhlenberg County Detention Center.
In addition to the charges related to the death of the minor, he faces a charge for possession of a controlled substance.
It was not yet known when he would appear before a judge.
The investigation continues and involves several federal, state and local police agencies.
Authorities are still working to establish what happened during the hours before Grayson’s death and determine all the circumstances of the case.
