AN 11-month-old baby has been found dead just hours after he was reported missing in a small town with a population under 200 people.

Grayson Walton was reportedly left in the care of a 19-year-old while his father was at work.

An 11-month-old baby named Grayson was found dead in Kentucky hours after he was reported missing

Elijah Mayes, 19, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with Grayson’s death

Family members of baby Grayson said on Saturday night the 11-month-old was last seen in Cleaton, Kentucky.

Cleaton is a small town in the southern part of the state located in Muhlenberg County, with a population of 168, according to the 2020 census.

The Central City Police Department said on Monday they responded to a “reported disturbance” at a home in the 800 block of Harrison Avenue in Cleaton.

Officials spoke with the baby’s father at the home on Saturday just after 5pm.

The father said Grayson was supposed to be in the care of 19-year-old Elijah Mayes while he was at work, according to police.

Mayes told investigators that a family friend had picked up the infant around 10pm on Friday night.

“Officers located and interviewed that individual, who stated that she had not picked up the child,” the department said.

A relative told police they saw Mayes with the child on Friday in the 300 block of Hillview Street, roughly four miles away from where police spoke with Grayson’s father.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the home where police first met with the father and allegedly found methamphetamine inside the residence.

A second search warrant was then executed for the residence where Mayes was allegedly last seen with Grayson, where they found the 11-month-old dead.

Mayes has since been arrested and charged with murder, first-degree criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and possession of a methamphetamine.

The investigation remains ongoing.

A search was launched for the baby in an area of Cleaton, Kentucky, a small town with a population of under 200 people

Police executed search warrants at two residences in Cleaton, and found Grayson dead inside the second home they searched

“Additional information will be released when appropriate and as the investigation allows,” the local police department said.

One woman who identified herself as Grayson’s aunt on Facebook, said she believed Grayson went missing sometime in the middle of the night on Friday, and said she learned of his disappearance around 5pm on Saturday.

Just before 11am on Sunday, the aunt said Grayson had been found.

Loved ones had asked people on social media not to speculate about the matter.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to the family and local authorities for comment.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/17003045/baby-grayson-walton-found-dead-elijah-mayes-cleaton-kentucky/