A 19-year-old Kentucky man is facing multiple criminal charges after an 11-month-old boy he was supposed to be babysitting was found dead inside a home in Muhlenberg County.

The child, Grayson Walton, was just weeks away from his first birthday when investigators found him during a search of a residence in Cleaton, Kentucky.

Police have accused Elijah Mayes of murder, first-degree criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and possession of a controlled substance.

New details contained in a criminal citation describe the condition in which investigators say Grayson was found, as well as an alleged attempt to create a false explanation for where the child had gone.

GRAYSON WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN MAYES’ CARE
According to the Central City Police Department, officers were called to a home on Harrison Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. on September 12 after Grayson’s father reported that his young son was missing.

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

Mayes allegedly told officers that a family friend had picked up the child at approximately 10 p.m. on September 11.

Investigators located and questioned the woman Mayes had identified.

According to police, she denied ever picking up Grayson.

That immediately raised questions about the child’s whereabouts and prompted investigators to continue searching for him.

A RELATIVE GAVE INVESTIGATORS ANOTHER LEAD
As detectives worked to establish Grayson’s last known movements, a relative reportedly told investigators that the child had last been seen with Mayes at a residence on Hillview Street in Cleaton.

Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for the property.

Investigators also searched another residence and vehicle connected to Mayes in Central City.

During that search, authorities said they found suspected methamphetamine inside a bedroom reportedly associated with Mayes.

The drug discovery resulted in a separate possession charge.

The investigation then shifted toward the Hillview Street property.

That is where detectives made the discovery that would turn the missing-child investigation into a homicide case.

POLICE SAY GRAYSON WAS FOUND INSIDE A COUCH
According to the criminal citation obtained by local media, investigators searching the Cleaton residence found Grayson inside a couch.

The citation states that the infant had visible bruising and appeared to have teeth marks on his stomach.

Those details come from the police allegations contained in the criminal citation and have not been independently established through a trial.

Authorities have not publicly released a definitive cause or manner of Grayson’s death.

The discovery was made during a search warrant executed after investigators had been trying to determine where the missing child had gone.

Grayson’s family was subsequently notified.

POLICE ALLEGE A FALSE ALIBI WAS CREATED
Investigators also allege that Mayes attempted to make his original account appear believable.

According to the criminal citation, police say Mayes created a fake phone number and sent text messages to himself while pretending to be the person who had supposedly picked up Grayson.

The alleged messages were reportedly intended to support his claim that the child had been taken by someone else.

Investigators determined that the person Mayes identified had not picked up Grayson, according to police.

The alleged fabricated communications are now part of the evidence cited in the case.

ANOTHER MAN HAS ALSO BEEN ARRESTED
Mayes is not the only person who has been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Jeff Barnett, who police identified as Grayson’s step-grandfather, was also arrested.

Barnett is charged with tampering with physical evidence.

His listed address is the same Hillview Street residence where investigators say Grayson’s body was discovered.

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

His charge concerns evidence-related conduct, and his case remains separate from the murder allegations against Mayes.

MAYES APPEARED IN COURT
Mayes appeared in Muhlenberg County Court following his arrest.

He pleaded not guilty, according to local reporting.

A public defender was appointed to represent him, and he was being held on a $1 million bond.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for September 23.

The case remains under investigation as prosecutors and investigators continue examining the evidence surrounding Grayson’s final hours.

GRAYSON’S FAMILY REMEMBERS A HAPPY BABY
Amid the criminal investigation, Grayson’s family has also been remembering him as a child whose life was filled with ordinary moments of happiness.

According to his obituary, Grayson was born on September 26, 2025, in Owensboro, Kentucky.

His family described him as a happy baby who loved water, enjoyed watching Ms. Rachel and liked playing with other children.

His funeral was held September 17 at Tucker Funeral Home in Central City, followed by burial at Miller Cemetery.

A memorial fund was also established to help the family with funeral and related expenses.

The Cleaton community held a candlelight vigil in Grayson’s memory, with residents gathering to support his family and keep his name in the community.

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

Police have released details about where the child was found and the allegations against Mayes, but authorities have not publicly provided a complete account of what happened between the time Grayson was last seen and the discovery of his body.

The evidence described in the criminal citation — including the alleged injuries, the location where Grayson was found and the alleged attempt to create a false alibi — will ultimately have to be evaluated through the criminal justice process.

Mayes is facing some of the most serious charges available under Kentucky law, but the allegations against him remain allegations unless and until they are proven in court.

For Grayson’s family and the small Kentucky community that gathered in his memory, the case has left one central question still unanswered: what happened to the 11-month-old boy during the hours before investigators found him?

That question remains at the center of the ongoing investigation.

SOURCES
The New York Post — Original report