DAYTON — The father of a missing 7-year-old boy whose remains were found in Dayton said he’s still trying to comprehend what happened.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, dozens of people gathered at a vigil to remember 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum. It took place at a memorial on McClure Street near Webbland Street.
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Creachbaum’s father, Hershall Creachbaum Sr., was at the vigil and talked to News Center 7’s Taylor Robertson.
He said he found out about what happened to his son on Facebook.
As previously reported by News Center 7, Creachbaum was reported missing from a home in the 400 block of Xenia Avenue around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.
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Around 7:30 p.m., investigators found remains believed to be Creachbaum less than half a mile from where he was reported missing.
However, Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal said Creachbaum had not been seen for several weeks and had been dead for several weeks.
Creachbaum Sr. said he likes to think his son is watching everyone honor him from heaven, and he would have loved all of the balloons and stuffed animals.
“Although we’re suffering tonight, and we’re hurting, and we’re sad and probably angry, and all of these things… But we’re not alone in that," New Hope Church Pastor Jeff Cartwright said at the vigil.
Creachbaum Sr. said his son’s passing doesn’t feel real.
“He was the highlight of my life,” he said.
But he is holding on to the fact that Creachbaum is no longer in pain.
“He had an extra ventricle in his heart that went straight to his brain. He had cerebral palsy, he was autistic, he had clubbed feet coming out, I mean, all of these health issues, you know what I mean, but he was still so happy in person,” Creachbaum Sr. said.
The father said he was in a relationship with Creachbaum’s mother, 36-year-old Ashley Johnson, until their son was about two years old.
At that time, he said they both signed temporary custody over to his mother.
Creachbaum Sr. said the last time he saw his son was “probably last summer.”
He added that he trusted Johnson and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Michael Kendrick, but now they are both in jail on charges connected to the boy’s death.
“I just can’t wrap my head around why anybody would want to kill him,” Creachbaum Sr. said.
Bridget Lowe is a parent volunteer at Ruskin Elementary, which is where Creachbaum went to school.
She said many people failed the 7-year-old boy.
“CPS was called numerous times; they failed him. Developmental disability services, they failed him. They was called numerous times a day. And (the) police department failed him, they was called numerous times for welfare checks,” Lowe said.
Dayton police, Dayton Public Schools, and Montgomery County Children’s Services would not confirm how many reports were made regarding Creachbaum.
“It was parents, it was teachers, the principal, security guards, it was numerous people,” Lowe said.
News Center 7 also spoke with Creachbaum’s classmates.
“He was a nice guy, and every time Ms. Jenny took him around, I always felt happy. And I will always love him,” one classmate said.
“I hope he rests in peace,” another classmate said.
Lowe said she has ordered a banner that honors Creachbaum. She hopes to hang it at the elementary school near his classroom.
Cartwright said the doors at New Hope Church are open for anyone who may be struggling.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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