Who was Cash Gernon? Texas boy, 4, found dead on street, suspect Darriynn Brown's mum says he's being 'framed'
DALLAS, TEXAS: Dallas police arrested an 18-year-old man on May 16 for kidnapping a child who was found dead in the middle of the street. Surveillance footage showed Darriynn Brown lifting up the 4-year-old boy from the crib of a house and leaving the premises around 5 am on Saturday.
Brown was arrested after the woman, who was taking care of her boyfriend's son, alerted cops to the boy missing boy at around 11 am the same day. This led police to identify the boy they had found earlier as the missing child, Cash Gernon.
Dallas News, which first reported the harrowing discovery of the child's body, shared the details from an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by them. According to the warrant, Cash was taken while he was in the care of his father's girlfriend, Monica Sherrod. He was living with his twin brother in the Florina Parkway, Mountain Creek home with his father and his girlfriend. The father has been absent since March, reveal court documents, with Cash's biological mother and grandmother looking after the two brothers. The twin has since been reunited with the mother, but there's no news of where the father is.
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Who was Cash Gernon?
In the early hours of May 16, a Mountain Creek local woman called Antwainese Square was out jogging when she noticed something in the middle of the street that she initially assumed was a dog or some other animal. Upon getting closer, Square was able to spot arms and legs on what the mother of three described to Dallas News was the bloodied body of a young child. The child was identified as four-year-old Cash, who police believe was "murdered in a violent act" with an edged weapon.
Cops later searched the home where Cash had been staying and found a piece of tissue paper with drops of blood on it. A small pocket knife was also found, reveals the search-warrant affidavit. Cash and Brown are both residents of the same neighborhood where the toddler's body was found, reports Dallas News. In fact, Cash was found just eight blocks away from home, on a curb, without a shirt or shoes. His death has been ruled a homicide with no information on Brown's relation to Cash's family or why he took the boy from his home mentioned in the affidavit.
Cash loved Iron Man
An 18-year-old, identified as Kamron Mori, who lived at the home where Cash was taken from and said he was his brother, told Dallas News about the happy boy who loved superheroes. Cash used to love pretending to be Iron Man and shoot imaginy rays with his arms spread out like the Marvel hero, Mori told the outlet.
Brown was arrested from his home and immediately taken to the law enforcement wing of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. He was interviewed before being booked into jail. As of Monday, May 17, Brown remained in jail on a bond of $1.5 million bail. He faces kidnapping and burglary charges with additional charges expected after completion of forensic analysis.
Why was Cash kidnapped?
In the wake of the tragedy, a small memorial has been organized for Cash with a rain-drenched teddy bear, some flower bouquets and a plastic firefighter’s helmet placed upon the curb near where he was found. Mori told the outlet that Cash's mother and other siblings won't stop crying, adding "I'm already cried out."
A memorial balloon was also planned for Sunday (not specified which week) at 6 pm at the Park in the Woods near Mountain Creek Parkway and Wheatland Road.
”Friends ain’t nothing,” Mori told the outlet about Brown whom he had been friends with. “Evil. No reason. Literally, no reason.” Brown's mother however vouches for her son's innocence and claims he was home all weekend and couldn't have kidnapped the boy. "That’s not right at all,” said Mimi Brown, mother of the suspect. “I know my son is traumatized. I know he’s scared, because I’m scared.” Brown is a patient of Metrocare Services that provides mental health care to children and adults, the mother said. "Darriynn is very kind,” she said, mentioning how Brown helps take care of his several young cousins at home. “I feel that he’s being framed," she shared.