11-MONTH-OLD GRAYSON WALTON FOUND DEAD HIDDEN INSIDE A COUCH AS TEEN BABYSITTER FACES MURDER CHARGE

An 11-month-old Kentucky baby who was left in the care of a teenage babysitter has been found dead, hidden inside a couch — and the young man accused of looking after him is now facing a murder charge.

Grayson Walton, from Central City, Kentucky, was just two weeks away from his first birthday when he disappeared on September 11.

His father had left him with Elijah Mayes, 19, while he was at work.

Two days later, Mayes was arrested and charged with murder and several other offenses.

The investigation has since raised disturbing questions about what happened to the baby during the hours after he was last seen.

THE BABY DISAPPEARED WHILE IN HIS CARE

Police were called to a Kentucky home on September 12 after Grayson’s father reported that his son was missing.

According to investigators, Mayes had been responsible for caring for the baby while his father was working.

When questioned, Mayes reportedly told police that a family friend had picked Grayson up at around 10 p.m. on September 11.

Investigators then contacted the woman Mayes had identified.

She told police that she had never picked up the child.

Police allege that Mayes had created a fake phone number and sent messages to himself while pretending to communicate with the woman.

Investigators say the alleged story was an attempt to create an alibi for what had happened to Grayson.

A SEARCH LED INVESTIGATORS TO ANOTHER HOME

As detectives continued investigating, a relative reportedly told police that they had seen Grayson together with Mayes at another home in Cleaton on September 11.

Officers searched the property.

What they found inside would turn the missing-child investigation into a homicide case.

Grayson’s body was discovered hidden inside a couch.

Police have not publicly released an official cause of death.

The location was connected to Jeff Barnett, Grayson’s step-grandfather.

TWO MEN ARE NOW FACING CHARGES

Mayes was arrested on September 13.

He has been charged with:

• Murder
• First-degree criminal abuse or neglect
• Abuse of a corpse
• Tampering with physical evidence

He has pleaded not guilty.

Mayes remains in the Muhlenberg County Detention Center on a $1 million bond and has been ordered not to have contact with Grayson’s family.

Barnett has also been arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Authorities have not publicly alleged that Barnett caused Grayson’s death.

POLICE HAVE NOT RELEASED THE CAUSE OF DEATH

One of the biggest unanswered questions remains how Grayson died.

Authorities have not yet publicly announced the official cause of death.

Investigators are continuing to examine evidence and reconstruct the timeline surrounding the baby’s disappearance and death.

Because the case is still active, some details remain undisclosed.

A COMMUNITY MOURNS A BABY WHO NEVER REACHED HIS FIRST BIRTHDAY

Grayson was only days away from celebrating his first birthday.

A candlelight vigil was held in his memory as relatives and members of the community gathered to remember the little boy.

A GoFundMe campaign has also been established to help his family with funeral expenses, with more than $4,500 reportedly raised at the time of the latest reports.

The case has left the community searching for answers about how a baby who was supposed to be under the care of an adult ended up dead and hidden inside a home.

THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

For now, the central questions remain unanswered.

What happened to Grayson after he was left with Mayes?

Why was a false story allegedly created about someone picking him up?

How did the baby’s body end up inside the couch?

And what role, if any, did others play?

Mayes is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

His next court appearance was expected to take place in Kentucky as prosecutors continue building their case.

For Grayson’s family, however, the investigation has already brought an unbearable loss.

Their baby boy was only two weeks away from his first birthday.

Now, investigators are working to determine exactly what happened during the final hours of his short life.