NOTE: The woman initially reported to be young Cash Gernon’s mother in this story and others from Dallas is actually the girlfriend of the boy’s father.
New details are emerging about the alleged murder of a young child in Texas over the weekend.
On Saturday, a 4-year-old boy was found dead with multiple wounds lying in the middle of a street in the Mountain Creek neighborhood of Dallas, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Police described the circumstances of the boy’s death as “unusual” and said that the boy died from violent injuries sustained from an “edged weapon.”
ABC 8 reports that the guardian of the victim identified him as Cash Gernon, a “happy-go-lucky” boy who had a twin brother.
Authorities on Saturday night arrested a man in connection with the boy’s death, identified as 18-year-old Darriynn Brown. He’s currently facing kidnapping and robbery charges, although authorities said charges will likely be upgraded after the official cause of death is released.
According to police, Brown lived around half a mile away from where the boy was found.
“Hard to believe. I don’t think he was in his right mind,” neighbor Jose Ramirez told ABC 8.
This 4y/o boy was found murdered on Saturday am on Saddlerige drive in the Mountain Creek Area in Dallas.
Mom identifies him as Cash Gernon. She says, “Cash was sleeping when he was kidnapped.”
Cash has a twin brother, who mom says, is in state custody now.
Pray for Cash 💔 pic.twitter.com/eiZgyvjAtK
— Malini Basu (@MaliniBasu_) May 17, 2021
According to the child’s guardian, Cash was sleeping in his room when Brown broke into the home’s backdoor and kidnapped the child. She added that security footage caught the incident.
Brown had an ankle monitor on his leg when he allegedly broke into the home, stemming from a previous unrelated charge. The boy’s mother said the suspect had no relation to the victim. She said she doesn’t know why Brown broke into her home.
Neighbor Antwainese Square, 39, told Dallas Morning News that she was jogging when she discovered Cash’s body.
“I noticed the baby had ants at the bottom of his feet. So I knew he was deceased then,” Square said. “It was heart-wrenching because this baby could have been no more than 5.”
The boy’s face and upper part of his body were covered in blood, and he didn’t have a shirt or any shoes on.
“Through the hard work of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department this criminal was brought to justice and it would not have been made possible without the Dallas FBI Evidence Response Team and the public’s assistance,” the police department said.
Cash’s guardian added that after the incident, the child’s twin brother was taken into state custody.
Brown remains behind bars on a $1.5 million bond. Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode.
[Feature Photo: Cash Gernon & Darriyn Brown/ABC screenshot; police handout]
