{"id":30867,"date":"2025-07-17T01:27:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30867"},"modified":"2025-07-17T01:27:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:27:28","slug":"7-year-old-boy-hershall-creachbaum-was-dead-for-weeks-before-he-was-reported-missing-police-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30867","title":{"rendered":"7-Year-Old Boy, Hershall Creachbaum, Was Dead for Weeks Before He Was Reported Missing – Police Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

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He was just seven, nonverbal, and relied on a wheelchair, but those who loved Hershall Creachbaum say he lit up every room he entered. Now, his quiet life has come to a devastating end, and a community is left reeling in pain.<\/p>\n

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Authorities in Dayton, Ohio, have confirmed that remains believed to be 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum were discovered over the weekend, months after he had died. Investigation into the case remains active.<\/p>\n

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\"Hershall<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Hershall Creachbaum is strapped in on a chair, froma post dated July 13, 2025 | Source: Facebook\/MissyRowlandCreachbaum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Creachbaum was\u00a0first reported kidnapped<\/a>\u00a0early Saturday morning, July 12, 2025, from the 400 block of Xenia Avenue. A massive search effort was launched, but investigators quickly learned he had not been seen for several weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The case then shifted from a missing child search to a homicide investigation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Hershall<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Hershall Creachbaum is strapped into his wheelchair, from a post dated July 13, 2025 | Source: Facebook\/MissyRowlandCreachbaum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A short time later,\u00a0police found remains<\/a>\u00a0on McClure Street, a location close to where the child was last reported. Though official identification is pending from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, police believe the remains are those of the little boy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“This callousness shown in this situation towards this child is horrendous and truly evil,” Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0during a press briefing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dayton’s Police Chief Kamran Afzal gives a statement on the case, from a YouTube post dated July 14, 2025 | Source: YouTube\/WHIO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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His mother, Ashley Johnson, and her boyfriend, Michael Kendrick, now\u00a0face criminal charges<\/a>\u00a0in connection with the boy’s death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Police arrested the 38-year-old Kendrick on Saturday night. He was later charged with three counts of tampering with evidence and one count of gross abuse of a corpse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Creachbaum’s mother was also arrested on Monday, July 14, 2025, and charged with obstruction of justice and failure to report a death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Hershall<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Hershall Creachbaum wears an oversized hat while drinking from a bottle, from a post dated July 13, 2025 | Source: Facebook\/MissyRowlandCreachbaum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Both Johnson and Kendrick\u00a0have prior criminal histories<\/a>. Johnson for theft, and Kendrick for charges including aggravated arson, theft, and having weapons under disability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Police Chief Afzal stated these charges are preliminary and that more may follow pending the coroner’s forensic examination of the 7-year-old’s remains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A photo of Ashley Johnson, and her boyfriend, Michael Kendrick, from a YouTube post dated July 14, 2025 | Source: YouTube\/WHIO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Just hours before the remains were found, Dayton Police and Fire\u00a0issued a public alert<\/a>\u00a0asking for help locating Creachbaum. He was described as nonverbal, on the autism spectrum, and physically impaired, though capable of walking short distances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He had last been seen wearing a gray T-shirt with cartoon characters and gray sweatpants. His wheelchair had already been located.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The department later issued a tragic update, reporting that a deceased juvenile believed to be the little boy had been found.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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