A Kentucky investigation involving an 11-month-old boy has taken a major turn after police arrested the 19-year-old who had been caring for him, while newly released court documents reveal additional details about what investigators say happened in the days leading up to the discovery.
The child, Grayson Walton, was just two weeks away from his first birthday.
His father had left him in the care of Elijah Mayes, 19, while he was at work. But when the father returned and could not find his son, authorities were contacted and an investigation began.
What initially appeared to be a search for a missing child soon became a much larger criminal investigation.
According to the Central City Police Department, officers were called to a home on Harrison Avenue in Central City shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, after Grayson’s father reported that his son could not be located.
Mayes was questioned about the child’s whereabouts.
Investigators say he told officers that a family friend had picked Grayson up at approximately 10 p.m. the previous night.
That explanation quickly came under scrutiny.
Police located the woman Mayes had identified and spoke with her directly. According to investigators, she told officers that she had never picked up Grayson.
A relative then provided investigators with another important detail. The relative reportedly told police that Grayson had last been seen with Mayes around 10 p.m. on September 11 at another residence on Hillview Street in nearby Cleaton.
With the information no longer matching Mayes’ account, investigators began searching for additional evidence.
Police obtained a search warrant for the Harrison Avenue property and a vehicle. During that search, authorities said they discovered suspected methamphetamine.
Investigators then obtained another warrant for the Cleaton property.
That search led to the discovery of Grayson inside a couch at the Hillview Street home.
Authorities said the infant had visible bruising and what appeared to be teeth marks on his stomach.
The details were included in a criminal citation obtained by local media and later reported by multiple outlets.
Police have not publicly released an exact cause of the infant’s death, and that remains an important unanswered question in the investigation.
Mayes was subsequently arrested and faces several charges, including murder, first-degree criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and first-degree possession of a controlled substance.
Investigators say the story became more complicated
One of the details now drawing attention is an alleged attempt to create an explanation for where Grayson had gone.
According to the criminal citation, investigators say Mayes created a fake phone number and used it to send text messages to himself while pretending to communicate with the person he claimed had taken the baby.
Police allege that the messages were intended to support his account that someone else had taken custody of Grayson.
That explanation was challenged when officers located the woman and she denied ever picking up the child.
Investigators then connected Grayson to the Hillview Street residence, where the infant was ultimately discovered.
The investigation has also led to another arrest.
Jeff Barnett, identified by local authorities as Grayson’s step-grandfather, was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Barnett’s listed address matches the Hillview Street property where investigators say Grayson was found.
Authorities have not publicly explained the full circumstances behind the evidence-tampering allegation against Barnett, leaving that portion of the case still developing.
A case that is still developing
Mayes appeared in court for the first time on Thursday, according to local reports.
He has pleaded not guilty, and he remains in custody as the case moves through the court system. Reports indicate he is being held on a $1 million bond and is not permitted to contact Grayson’s family. His next court appearance has been reported for September 23.
Meanwhile, some search-warrant materials have been sealed, meaning additional details from the investigation may not become public immediately.
According to FOX 56, the sealed search-warrant documents are scheduled to remain unavailable for 180 days, through March 17, 2027.
That means investigators may still have evidence that has not yet been released publicly.
For now, the known timeline begins with a father leaving his young son in Mayes’ care and later reporting that he could not locate him.
It continues with Mayes’ explanation that someone else had picked up the child, investigators discovering that the woman named in that account denied doing so, and a relative placing Grayson with Mayes at another home the previous evening.
Then came the searches, the discovery of suspected drugs and, ultimately, the finding of Grayson inside the couch.
Remembering Grayson
As the investigation continues, the small Kentucky community has also been coming together around Grayson’s family.
A candlelight vigil was held in his memory, with community members gathering to support the family and remember the little boy who was only days away from celebrating his first birthday.
People who attended the vigil described the loss as something felt throughout the close-knit community.
A fundraiser has also been established to help Grayson’s family with funeral expenses.
For those who knew him, Grayson was more than the subject of a criminal investigation.
He was a baby approaching his first birthday, surrounded by a family that expected to watch him grow through the years ahead.
Now, investigators are working to establish a complete account of what happened while he was in Mayes’ care.
What investigators still need to establish
Several important questions remain unanswered.
What exactly happened to Grayson while he was under Mayes’ care?
What caused the injuries investigators documented?
Why was the child taken to the Hillview Street residence?
What was the purpose of the alleged fabricated text messages?
And what role, if any, did other people play in the events surrounding the case?
Authorities have not released answers to all of those questions.
The investigation remains active, and additional information could emerge as detectives review evidence, speak with witnesses and prepare the case for court.
For now, Mayes faces serious allegations, but those allegations have not been proven in court. Barnett also faces an evidence-tampering charge, while investigators continue determining the circumstances surrounding his alleged involvement.
What began as a father’s urgent search for his missing 11-month-old son has now become a complex criminal investigation involving multiple locations, two arrests and evidence that authorities say changed the direction of the case.
And with key investigative records still sealed and the exact cause of Grayson’s death not yet publicly released, there are still significant pieces of the story that investigators have yet to make public.