Boy, 7, with Autism Vanished Along with His Wheelchair. Now Body Has Been Found, and Two People Are in Custody

Two people are in custody after the body believed to be a missing 7-year-old Ohio boy with autism was found.

Hershall Creachbaum, who is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, was reported to have been kidnapped on July 12, the Dayton Police Department said.

Later that day, a body believed to be Hershall’s was located, police Chief Kamran Afzal said at a press conference on Monday, July 14. The chief added that the boy is believed to have been dead for several weeks.

The boy’s mother, Ashley Johnson, has since been arrested and charged with obstructing justice and failure to report a death, Afzal said.

Michael Kendrick, 38, was also arrested and charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse, police said. Afzal said that Kendrick had initially called 911.

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Afzal noted the current charges are preliminary and more could be added pending the result of a forensic examination.

“Our endgame is to have a lot more serious charges,” Afzal said, though he did not specify what charges were being discussed.

The police chief confirmed that Hershall had a sister living in the same home and that child services had taken over caring for her.