Kentucky babysitter charged with murder after 11-month-old Grayson Walton found dead

Elijah Drew Mayes, 19, allegedly lied to police about the infant's whereabouts before Grayson Walton's body was discovered in a Cleaton home.

Babysitter Arrested After Infant's Body Found in Kentucky Home

A 19-year-old Kentucky man has been charged with murder after the 11-month-old boy he was supposed to be babysitting was found dead in a home in Cleaton, Law & Crime reports.

Elijah Drew Mayes was taken into custody and charged with murder, first-degree criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and possession of a controlled substance in connection with the death of Grayson Walton, according to the Central City Police Department.

Officers first responded around 5:10 p.m. on Sept. 12 to a reported disturbance at a home in the 800 block of Harrison Avenue — roughly 185 miles west of Lexington. Grayson's father told police the child "was supposed to be in the care of Elijah Mayes while he was at work."

Mayes initially told officers that a family friend had picked the boy up at approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11. Investigators located and interviewed that individual, who said she had not picked up the child. The account quickly unraveled.

A relative of Grayson's told investigators that the last confirmed sighting of the infant was with Mayes at around 10 p.m. that same night at a residence in the 300 block of Hillview Street in Cleaton.

Police obtained a search warrant for the Harrison Avenue home and a vehicle at the location. During that search, officers said they found what they believed to be methamphetamine inside the residence.

A second search warrant was then obtained for the Hillview Street property, about four miles southeast of Harrison Avenue. Investigators found Grayson's body inside that home during the search.

Authorities did not disclose the infant's cause of death. Mayes was transported to the Muhlenberg County Detention Center following his arrest. No court date had been announced as of the initial report.

The Central City Police Department said numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation, which remains ongoing.

Source: Law & Crime