‘They took an innocent life’: Family of 7-year-old boy call for justice after remains found in Dayton

The Dayton Daily News typically does not identify people who have not been formally charged with a crime.

Her boyfriend, Michael Kendrick, is being held on a $2 million bond for three counts of tampering with evidence and one count of gross abuse of a corpse.

The boy’s mother told detectives Hershall died in May while she was in the hospital, according to Dayton Municipal Court records.

Kendrick reportedly confessed to punching the boy in the head and striking him while he was in an argument on the phone.

He told investigators Hershall died the next day, according to court records.

Kendrick kept the boy’s body in the house until it began to smell and then put it in a deep freeze, an affidavit read.

He allegedly used a suitcase to bring the body to a field and returned a few weeks later to collect the bones, which he left on McClure Street.

‘He was a monster’

Missy Creachbaum, Hershall’s grandmother, said she hopes prosecutors will pursue the death penalty in this case. Or, she said, at the very least she hopes Kendrick and Hershall’s biological mother spend the rest of their lives in prison.

Creachbaum, 53, who lives in Columbus, said Kendrick seemed like a decent guy and an OK parent, but looks can be deceiving.

“He was a monster and no one knew it,” she said.

Hershall’s great aunt, Jessica McNire, said he loved Kendrick and it appeared Kendrick loved him too.

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

“He would play with him,” said McNire. “He would sit and give Hershall a controller that didn’t work for the game system and he would let him push the buttons to think he was playing the game system.”

Now she said it feels like it was just a show.

Creachbaum said she just recently learned that Kendrick had a lengthy criminal history. Montgomery County Court records indicate that he has been convicted of burglary, having weapons under disability, aggravated arson, theft and domestic violence.

Creachbaum on Tuesday afternoon visited the bridge on McClure Street over U.S. 35 where a memorial for Hershall has been created. She said her grandson’s remains were discovered in a wooded area next to the bridge.

McNire said she drove past that area on Saturday while she was looking for Hershall with her 11-year-old daughter, Lavaeh Benner.

“I know if we would have got out and searched we would have found my nephew,” she said. “It’s disgusting.”

‘I miss you Hershey!’

Hundreds of balloons have been tied to the fencing on the bridge, and visitors also hung or placed flowers, stuffed animals, toys, homemade artwork, candles and posters and signs expressing love for Hershall or demanding justice in his case.

The bridge is less than 0.2 miles from the home on the 400 block of Xenia Avenue where Hershall lived with his mother and her boyfriend.

Lavaeh Benner, 11, attached a note to the bridge on Monday that says, “I miss you Hershey! You didn’t deserve that! You’re kind, you never did anything bad or wrong ever.”

Lavaeh said she misses her cousin a lot. She said Hershall was always happy and cheerful and his smile lit up the room.

“He was a nice, kind, loving, caring boy,” she said. “I hate this has happened. Me and him were very close.”

Lavaeh said he loved to dance, play and bounce around, and he was very affectionate. Family sometimes called him “Hershey,” “junior” and “bubbie.”

Creachbaum, who on Tuesday wore a shirt with her grandson’s photo and the words “Justice for Hershall,” said she last saw the boy in May. She said Kendrick and Johnson refused to let her come to their home to see her grandson.

‘They took an innocent life’

Hershey was autistic, nonverbal and had cerebral palsy, and he had open heart surgery at a young age, Creachbaum said.

She said she will try to attend all of Kendrick’s and the mother’s court hearings because she wants to be her grandson’s voice as the case works its way through the criminal justice system.

“I need to make sure they get what they deserve,” she said. “They took an innocent life, why should they have a life?”

Creachbaum said her grandson loved music and the TV show “Paw Patrol” and Superman. He was always delighted by toys that light up and make noises.

On Tuesday afternoon, people stopped by the memorial on McClure Street to pay their respects. Some visitors hugged and cried with Creachbaum.

Creachbaum said Hershall’s 11-year-old sister is in the custody of children services. She said she would like to take custody of the girl.

Since learning more about what happened to her grandson, Creachbaum said it feels like a piece of her has died.

“I’m done with pain,” she said.

McNire said she thinks about Hershall’s last moments and what he was thinking.

“What was going through that baby’s head?” she asked. “Where did he suffer?”