An 11-month-old boy reported missing from the small Muhlenberg County community of Cleaton was later found dead. Family members had said the child, identified only as Grayson, went missing from Cleaton on Saturday, and officers later confirmed he had been found; family members told reporters he was deceased.
The Muhlenberg Watch account described efforts to locate Grayson. Separately, KPTV reported that an officer directed a WFIE reporter to the police station Saturday, where an officer confirmed the child had been found, though officials did not immediately provide details about the investigation or Grayson's condition. The station also reported that the police chief was unavailable to comment on the case, and officials said there were no other immediately available details about Grayson's disappearance or death.
Grayson's family members told reporters the child was deceased, according to the same KPTV account. The Muhlenberg County Sheriff's Office and the Central City Police Department are both investigating Grayson's disappearance and death, with the child found dead in Muhlenberg County after being reported missing.
Timeline Surrounding Grayson's Disappearance Remains Unclear
Local reporting has offered a partial timeline of the hours before Grayson vanished. Family members reported that the boy went missing from Cleaton on Saturday after his father reportedly left him in the care of a sitter before working a third-shift job Friday night, according to the station's report from Hometown Stations. That timeline leaves an extended gap between when the child was last known to be in someone's care Friday night and when he was reported missing the following day, a gap investigators are now working to piece together.
Cleaton is an unincorporated rural community in Muhlenberg County, northeast of U.S. Route 431, which forms the western edge of the community.
Small Departments Lean on Regional Backup for Major Cases
Central City's police department is investigating the death alongside the Muhlenberg County Sheriff's Office.
Recent incidents have drawn responses from local law enforcement and emergency crews. Three weeks before Grayson's death, on August 22, Muhlenberg County law enforcement responded to dual stabbings in Central City and Greenville that left one person dead and another injured, with a 39-year-old man later charged in connection with the case. Days earlier, on August 18, emergency crews responded to a house explosion on North 5th Street in Central City that sent the homeowner to the hospital with severe burns and damaged four nearby homes.
Open Questions Remain in Ongoing Investigation
The investigation remains ongoing, and it remains unresolved whether any charges will be filed as investigators work through the timeline surrounding Grayson's disappearance.
No further details about the investigation or Grayson's condition were available as of Sunday, and officials have not said when additional information might be released.
