Mom, boyfriend accused of storing disabled 7-year-old's body, hit with additional charges

An Ohio resident who reported his girlfriend's disabled child as missing is now accused of the boy's murder.

Michael Kendrick, aged 39, and Ashley Johnson, aged 36, were both taken into custody in July 2025 concerning the passing of Johnson's 7-year-old son, Hershall Creachbaum. 

On Thursday, they faced new charges. Johnson now also faces charges of mishandling a body and interfering with evidence, alongside her initial charge of obstructing justice.

Kendrick, who allegedly confessed to the police about striking Hershall, now faces charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and two counts of child endangerment along with his previous charges of interfering with evidence and mishandling a body.

As stated by the Dayton Police Department, Kendrick reported Hershall missing on July 12, 2025, mentioning the boy disappeared around 3:30am. 

The child, who had nonverbal autism and used a wheelchair, had already been located according to the police.

Just hours after the emergency call, the boy's body was discovered. During a media briefing, officials stated they believed the boy had never actually gone missing and had been deceased for several weeks. 

When questioned, Johnson, Hershall's mother, supposedly informed the police that she left the child in Kendrick's care, her boyfriend, while she was hospitalised following a surgery in May 2025.

Kendrick allegedly told the police that Hershall passed away naturally, but later altered his account. 

The police report Kendrick admitted to striking the child and causing him to fall, "resulting in bouncing off the ground and impacting other areas of his body." Kendrick then supposedly claimed Hershall died while he was showering.

Following the boy's death, Kendrick allegedly confessed to police that he kept Hershall's body at the residence "until it began to emit an odor." He reportedly then moved the body into a freezer. 

Afterwards, he covered the body with a sheet, "packed him in a suitcase, and disposed of his body in a grassy field by railway tracks," according to police. Kendrick is said to have later moved Hershall's remains to the area where they were eventually found.

Both Johnson and Kendrick are lodged in the Montgomery County Jail; Kendrick has no bail set, and Johnson is held on $25,000 bail. Their court appearance is planned for April 30.