Cleaton, Kentucky – A desperate search for an 11-month-old Kentucky baby has ended in heartbreak and a criminal investigation after authorities confirmed that Grayson Walton was found d34d inside a residence in Muhlenberg County.
Grayson had been reported missing from the small community of Cleaton after family members said they had not seen the infant since Saturday.
What initially began as an urgent effort to locate a missing child took a devastating turn Sunday as multiple law enforcement agencies searched residences and vehicles for information about his whereabouts.
Authorities have now disclosed that investigators obtained a search warrant for a home and vehicle in the 800 block of Harrison Avenue.
During that search, officers reported discovering suspected m3thamphetamine inside the residence.
Investigators subsequently obtained a second search warrant, this time involving another residence and vehicle in the 300 block of Hillview Street.
It was inside that Hillview Street residence that investigators discovered 11-month-old Grayson Walton d34d, according to the latest information released in the case.
The discovery transformed the investigation from a missing-child search into a much more serious criminal case.
A man identified as Mayes was arr3sted
Authorities also confirmed that a man identified by his surname as Mayes was taken into custody and booked into the Muhlenberg County Detention Center.
The updated information currently available publicly does not provide his complete name.
Mayes is facing charges listed as m4rder, criminal abuse in the first degree, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and possession of a controlled substance.
Those are allegations filed against him, and he remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until guilt is established through the judicial process.
Investigators have not yet publicly explained what relationship, if any, existed between Mayes and Grayson.
They also have not disclosed the evidence that led them to file the m4rder charge.
Search began after Grayson disappeared
Family members initially told local media that Grayson had been missing from Cleaton since Saturday.
By Sunday, several law enforcement agencies were involved.
A reporter with 14 News/WFIE traveled to Cleaton while authorities were still conducting their investigation.
As the reporter approached the area where relatives said investigators were working, an officer reportedly stopped her and informed her that the baby had been found.
She was directed to the police station.
At that point, however, authorities did not immediately reveal where Grayson had been located or whether he was alive.
The heartbreaking confirmation came afterward when members of Grayson’s family told the television station that the 11-month-old had d1ed.
Hours later, updated information provided the crucial detail that Grayson had been discovered inside the Hillview Street residence.
Several questions remain unanswered
Despite the arr3st, investigators have not yet publicly disclosed exactly what happened to Grayson between the time he disappeared and the discovery of his body.
His official cause and manner of d34th have not been publicly detailed in the reports available so far.
Authorities also have not publicly provided a complete timeline explaining when Grayson was last known to be safe, how investigators were led to the two Cleaton residences or what evidence connects the person arr3sted to the baby’s d34th.
Those questions are expected to become central as the investigation progresses.
Multiple agencies working on the case
The Central City Police Department and Muhlenberg County Sheriff’s Office are among the agencies involved in the investigation.
Search warrants, interviews and evidence collected from the residences and vehicles will now form part of the effort to reconstruct Grayson’s final hours.
The investigation remains active, and additional charges or information could emerge as authorities examine the evidence.
For Grayson’s family, however, the search they desperately hoped would bring an 11-month-old baby home safely has ended in unimaginable grief.
Grayson Walton was only 11 months old — just weeks away from celebrating his first birthday.
