When I arrived at the small brick duplex on the 800 block of West Third Street Sunday afternoon, the front yard was eerily quiet.
A faded tricycle sat tipped over in the grass, and the porch light flickered in the midday sun—an odd sight in a neighborhood bustling with weekend lawn mowers and barking dogs.
Just 24 hours before, Dayton Police had announced the search for Hershall Creachbaum, a 7-year-old boy with autism. He was nonverbal and used a wheelchair.
A child with significant needs disappeared without a trace. But when the news broke on Monday, the grim truth hit like a punch in the chest: Hershall was most likely dead for weeks before anyone reported him missing.
At a press conference that morning, Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal confirmed that Hershall’s body was discovered Saturday evening, shortly after 38-year-old Michael Kendrick called 911.
Kendrick has now been charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
Ashley Johnson, Hershall’s mother, is also in custody. According to Chief Afzal, she is facing charges of obstructing justice and failing to report a death.
“The facts as we know them are disturbing,” Afzal stated bluntly. “We believe this child died weeks ago—long before that 911 call was made.”
Neighbors informed me that they had not seen the boy outside in over a month. One woman across the street, who asked that her name not be used, stated, “That little boy was always on the porch in his chair when the weather was nice. But lately, nothing. I simply assumed… “I’m not sure what I assumed.”
Investigators worked silently inside the police tape over the weekend. I noticed a stuffed animal—grimy and sun-bleached—sitting on the windowsill, pressed against the glass as if it, too, had been waiting.
According to authorities, Hershall shared a home with his mother, Kendrick, and his younger sister. Officials confirmed that Montgomery County Children Services had taken custody of the girl.
Kendrick, who police say made the first emergency call, allegedly withheld information about what happened to Hershall. Afzal told reporters that more serious charges are likely to follow, depending on the results of the forensic examination.
“Our endgame is to have a lot more serious charges,” Afzal told reporters. He declined to elaborate further.
The case has alarmed Dayton residents and reignited calls for increased oversight in homes with special needs children. As of Tuesday, the house’s front steps had become an impromptu memorial, with plastic flowers, a few candles, and a single note written in a child’s handwriting: “Rest in peace, Hershall.”
