BABY GRAYSON WALTON, 11 MONTHS, FOUND DEAD INSIDE COUCH AS BABYSITTER FACES MURDER CHARGE

An 11-month-old Kentucky baby was found dead inside a home after investigators discovered that the story initially given by the teenager responsible for caring for him did not match what police later learned.

Grayson Walton, just 11 months old, was reported missing in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, before investigators located his body inside a home in Cleaton.

Nineteen-year-old Elijah Mayes, who had been looking after Grayson while the baby’s father was at work, has been arrested and charged with murder and several other offenses.

GRAYSON WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE CARE OF A BABYSITTER

According to police, officers were called to a home on Harrison Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. on September 12 after Grayson’s father reported that his son was missing.

The father told investigators that Grayson had been left in the care of Mayes while he was at work.

Mayes reportedly told police that a family friend had picked up Grayson at around 10 p.m. the previous night.

Investigators contacted that person, who denied ever picking up the baby.

A relative subsequently told police that Grayson had last been seen with Mayes at a residence on Hillview Street in nearby Cleaton.

SEARCH LEADS POLICE TO A CLEATON HOME

As investigators worked to establish what had happened to Grayson, police obtained search warrants for properties in Central City and Cleaton.

Police said suspected methamphetamine was discovered at the Harrison Avenue property.

Investigators then searched a home on Hillview Street in Cleaton.

It was there that they found Grayson’s body.

According to a criminal citation obtained by local media, investigators found the infant inside a couch.

The document also described bruising on the child’s body and apparent teeth marks. Authorities have not publicly released an official cause of death.

POLICE ALLEGE A FALSE ALIBI

Court records contain another significant allegation against Mayes.

Investigators say he created a fake phone number and sent messages to himself while pretending to communicate with the person he claimed had taken Grayson.

Police allege the messages were intended to support his account of what happened to the baby.

The allegations have not been tested at trial, and Mayes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

A SECOND MAN HAS ALSO BEEN ARRESTED

The investigation has also resulted in a second arrest.

Jeff Barnett, identified by police as Grayson’s step-grandfather, was charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Barnett’s address is listed as the Hillview Street home where investigators found Grayson’s body.

The tampering charge does not by itself establish that Barnett was involved in the baby’s death, and authorities have not publicly alleged that he caused Grayson’s death.

MAYES FACES MULTIPLE CHARGES

Mayes, 19, has been charged with:

• Murder
• First-degree criminal abuse
• Tampering with physical evidence
• Abuse of a corpse
• First-degree possession of a controlled substance

He has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty, according to local reporting.

The case remains under investigation.

A COMMUNITY LEFT HEARTBROKEN

As investigators continued working on the case, residents of Cleaton gathered for a candlelight vigil to remember Grayson.

Community members prayed together before walking through the streets carrying signs calling for justice for the baby.

Vigil organizer Georgina Sailing said the community wanted Grayson’s name to be remembered.

“Speak his name. Don’t let him be forgotten,” Sailing said during the vigil.

Pastor Jennifer Banks described the grief as something shared by the entire small community.

People gathered not only to remember Grayson, but also to support his family and the first responders involved in the investigation.

THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

The circumstances surrounding Grayson’s death remain the subject of an active criminal investigation.

Authorities have not publicly established the official cause of death, and the allegations contained in police and court documents will ultimately have to be addressed through the criminal justice process.

For a community now grieving the loss of an 11-month-old child, the immediate focus remains on remembering Grayson while investigators continue working to establish exactly what happened in the days before his body was discovered.

Grayson’s family and supporters have continued to call for justice — and for the little boy’s name not to be forgotten.