Elijah Mayes pleaded not guilty as court records revealed new details about the death of 11-month-old Grayson Walton.
CLEATON, Ky. — A 19-year-old man accused of caring for an 11-month-old boy while the child’s father was at work has been charged with murder and several other offenses after police found the baby dead inside a couch at a home in western Kentucky.
Elijah Mayes of Central City is charged in the death of Grayson Walton, whose disappearance triggered a search by local authorities in Muhlenberg County. Court records cited by local news organizations say investigators found Grayson concealed inside a couch at a home on Hillview Street in Cleaton. Police reported signs of injuries on the child’s body, including bruising and marks that appeared consistent with bites. Authorities have not publicly released a final cause or manner of death.
Central City police said officers responded shortly after 5 p.m. Sept. 12 to a home on Harrison Avenue, where Grayson’s father told them his son had been left in Mayes’ care while he worked. According to police, Mayes told investigators that a family friend had picked up the child around 10 p.m. the previous night. Officers located that person, however, and she told them she had not picked up Grayson. A relative also told authorities the child had last been seen with Mayes at a Cleaton residence.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Harrison Avenue residence and a vehicle there. Police said suspected methamphetamine was discovered during that search. Officers then obtained another warrant for the Hillview Street home and a vehicle associated with that location. Grayson was found dead at the Cleaton property during the investigation. A criminal citation obtained by WFIE later disclosed that the baby had been found inside a couch.
The citation also alleges Mayes created a false phone number and sent messages to himself while pretending to be the person he claimed had taken Grayson. Investigators allege the messages were an attempt to support the account he had given police. The allegations have not been proven in court, and Mayes pleaded not guilty during his Sept. 17 court appearance.
Mayes faces charges of murder, first-degree criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and first-degree possession of a controlled substance involving methamphetamine, according to police and court records cited by local outlets. He was being held at the Muhlenberg County Detention Center on a $1 million cash-only bond. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 23.
A second man, Jeff Barnett, was arrested as the investigation continued. Police identified Barnett as Grayson’s step-grandfather and said his listed address was the Hillview Street residence where the child was found. Barnett is charged with tampering with physical evidence. Authorities have not accused him of killing the child, and his charge should not be read as establishing responsibility for Grayson’s death.
Local reports contain a slight difference over the date Grayson was found. WBKO reported that police obtained and executed the second search warrant as the investigation unfolded on Sept. 12, while WFIE described Grayson as having been found Sept. 13. His obituary lists his date of death as Sept. 13. Authorities have not publicly clarified that timing in the materials reviewed for this report.
Grayson was born Sept. 26, 2025, in Owensboro and died less than two weeks before his first birthday, according to his obituary. His family remembered him as a happy child who loved water, children’s programming and playing with other children. Funeral services were held Sept. 17 in Central City, followed by burial at Miller Cemetery in Cleaton.
Community members also gathered for a candlelight vigil in Cleaton on Sept. 17. Organizers and residents said the gathering was intended to support Grayson’s family and remember the child as the criminal investigation continued. Both Mayes and Barnett had appeared in court by that day, and local authorities said the case remained under investigation.
No final medical finding explaining how Grayson died had been publicly released in the reports reviewed as of Sept. 20. Mayes remained charged and awaiting further court proceedings, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 23, while investigators continued examining the circumstances surrounding the child’s death and the alleged efforts to conceal evidence.