Elijah Drew Mayes, 19, of Central City, Kentucky, is facing multiple felony charges in the death of 11-month-old Grayson Eli Walton, a child he was supposed to be watching while the boy’s father was at work.

According to the Central City Police Department, officers responded just after 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, to a reported disturbance on Harrison Avenue. Grayson’s father told police he had left his son in Mayes’ care. Mayes claimed a “family friend” had picked the baby up around 10 p.m. the night before. Investigators located that woman; she said she never collected the child. A relative separately told officers the last time Grayson was seen with Mayes was Friday at a home on Hillview Street in nearby Cleaton.

A search of the Harrison Avenue residence turned up suspected methamphetamine. After obtaining a second warrant, police searched the Cleaton home. They found Grayson dead inside a couch. Court records cited by WFIE and FOX 56 said the infant was covered in bruises and appeared to have teeth marks on his stomach.

Police allege Mayes created a fake phone number and texted himself while posing as the person he said had taken the baby, in an attempt to manufacture an alibi. He was charged with murder, first-degree criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and first-degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). Mayes pleaded not guilty on Sept. 17 and is being held at the Muhlenberg County Detention Center on a $1 million cash-only bond. His next court date is Sept. 23.

Soon after Mayes’ arrest, Jeff Barnett — identified as Grayson’s step-grandfather and a resident of the Cleaton home where the body was found — was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence. He was taken into custody at a gas station in Graham.

Residents held a candlelight vigil for Grayson on Sept. 17. Organizer Georgina Sailing told WBKO she hoped “justice is served” and urged people to “speak his name. Don’t let him be forgotten.” Attendee Jennifer Banks said the baby’s immediate family was “devastated.”

Grayson died two weeks before his first birthday. His obituary described him as a happy baby who loved the water, Ms. Rachel, playing with other children, and who “never met a stranger.” An official cause of death has not been released. The investigation remains open.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or visit childhelp.org. Calls are confidential and available 24/7.

Sources

• People: “Babysitter, 19, Charged After 11-Month-Old Baby Was Found Dead Inside Couch and Covered in Teeth Marks,” Charlotte Phillipp, Sept. 19, 2026
• Central City Police Department statements and social posts
• Local reporting from WFIE, FOX 56, WBKO, LEX 18, Kentucky New Era
• Additional coverage from Law&Crime, New York Post, and The Sun regarding charges, the search, the second arrest, and court proceedings