Mom, boyfriend who allegedly kept body of disabled 7-year-old in the house 'until he started to smell' hit with even more charges

Background: News footage of the scene in Dayton, Ohio, where the remains of Hershall Creachbaum were found (WHIO). Insets (left to right): Hershall Creachbaum, Ashley H. Johnson, and Michael Kendrick (Dayton Police Department).

An Ohio man who reported his girlfriend's disabled son missing is now charged with the boy's murder.

Michael Kendrick, 39, and Ashley Johnson, 36, were both arrested in July 2025 in connection with the death of Johnson's 7-year-old son, Hershall Creachbaum. On Thursday, they were both indicted on additional charges. Johnson is now charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence in addition to her original charge of obstructing justice.

Kendrick, who allegedly admitted to police that he punched Hershall, is now charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, and two counts of endangering children in addition to his original charges of tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

According to the Dayton Police Department, Kendrick reported Hershall missing on July 12, 2025, saying that the boy went missing around 3:30 a.m. The 7-year-old boy had nonverbal autism and used a wheelchair, but police said the wheelchair had already been located.

Hours after the 911 call, the boy's remains were found. During a press conference, police said they believed the boy had never been missing at all and had been dead for several weeks. When they questioned Johnson, Hershall's mother, she allegedly told police that she left her son in the care of Kendrick, her boyfriend, when she was hospitalized after having surgery in May 2025.

Kendrick allegedly told police that Hershall died of natural causes, but his story later changed. According to the police, Kendrick admitted to punching the boy and pushing him to the ground, "causing him to bounce off the floor and striking other parts of his body." Kendrick then allegedly said Hershall died while he was in the shower.

More from Law&Crime: 'Until he started to smell': Disabled 7-year-old was dead for weeks before mom's boyfriend reported him missing, police say

After the boy's death, Kendrick allegedly told police that he kept Hershall's body in the home "until he started to smell." He then allegedly moved the body into a freezer. After that, he wrapped the boy's body in a sheet, "stuffed him into a suitcase and disposed of his body in a grassy field near train tracks," police said. Kendrick later allegedly moved Hershall's remains to the location where they were discovered.

Both Johnson and Kendrick are in custody at the Montgomery County Jail; Kendrick is being held without bond, and Johnson is being held on $25,000 bond. They are both scheduled to appear in court on April 30.