A 7-year-old Ohio boy who was found dead earlier this month was reportedly placed in trash bags weeks after he died in his mother’s boyfriend’s care.

Hershall Creachbaum is believed to have died several weeks before his body was found on July 12, the same day his mother’s boyfriend, Michael Kendrick, 38, allegedly called 911 claiming the boy was kidnapped. Montgomery County’s preliminary autopsy report stated that Creachbaum’s skeleton and trace tissue fragments were found in several trash bags in some brush, according to WDTN.

Officials said Creachbaum’s skeleton was “incomplete” and had several fractures, though it is unclear whether those occurred before his death. They are awaiting the results of an anthropological exam — which will not only positively identify the remains, but also confirm his time and cause of death.

Creachbaum’s body was found a half-mile from his Dayton home hours after Kendrick claimed someone punched him in the face and took the boy. However, investigators determined it was a false report as Creachbaum died weeks earlier. They also believe Kendrick was intoxicated when he placed the 911 call.

Creachbaum, who was autistic and nonverbal, used a wheelchair but could walk short distances. His mother, Ashley Johnson, 36, allegedly told police that her son’s death occurred sometime in May while she was hospitalized.  Kendrick reportedly revealed to Johnson that her son succumbed of natural causes while in his care — leading him to dump his body by some railroad tracks.

Kendrick allegedly confessed to punching Creachbaum twice in the head. He reportedly also pushed the boy down, resulting in additional injuries. Kendrick claimed he died in the shower the following day.

Dayton police claimed that Kendrick put Creachbaum’s remains in a suitcase, but he eventually returned to the location to recover the bones and put them in plastic bags. He then moved the bags to another location, according to police.

Though Kendrick was booked into jail on a preliminary murder charge, he was formally charged with tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. Johnson was arrested for failing to report a death and obstructing justice. Kendrick and Johnson remain jailed on bonds of $2 million and $200,000, respectively.

No murder charges have been filed, as Creachbaum’s cause of death is pending.

[Feature Photo: Dayton police]