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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).
A tragic case in Ohio has taken a grim turn as an investigation into the disappearance of a young boy has resulted in murder charges being filed against his mother’s boyfriend.
Michael Kendrick, aged 39, and Ashley Johnson, aged 36, both found themselves in police custody in July 2025 following the tragic death of Johnson’s 7-year-old son, Hershall Creachbaum. On a recent Thursday, the charges against the pair were intensified. Johnson now faces additional charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, supplementing her original charge of obstructing justice.
Kendrick, who reportedly confessed to police that he had assaulted Hershall, is now charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter, as well as two counts of child endangerment. These charges are in addition to his initial charges of tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
The Dayton Police Department revealed that Kendrick had reported the boy missing on July 12, 2025, claiming that he disappeared around 3:30 a.m. Despite Hershall’s reliance on a wheelchair due to his nonverbal autism, police had already retrieved the wheelchair, raising suspicions.
Just hours after the initial 911 call, the boy’s remains were discovered. In a press conference, authorities expressed their belief that Hershall had never actually gone missing and had been deceased for several weeks. During questioning, Johnson allegedly informed the police that she had left her son in Kendrick’s care while she was hospitalized following 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.
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.