CLARK COUNTY — The investigation into a missing 7-year-old boy whose remains were found over the weekend is raising questions about whose custody he was in at the time of his death.
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Hershall Creachbaum’s remains were found less than half a mile from his mother, Ashley Johnson’s home on Xenia Avenue on Saturday.
He had been reported missing earlier that day by his mother’s boyfriend, Michael Kendrick. Police later revealed he had been dead for “several weeks” before his remains were found.
Both Johnson and Kendrick are now facing charges stemming from his death.
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Creachbaum’s paternal grandmother cared for him for years in Clark County.
Publicly available court documents filed in Clark County Probate Court and obtained by the News Center 7 I-Team give new insight into why his care changed hands.
In January 2021, court documents show Creachbaum’s dad, Hershall Creachbaum Sr., signed a waiver appointing his mother, Missy Creachbaum, as the boy’s guardian.
Two months later, Missy applied for guardianship of the boy, who was 3 years old at the time, and his then-7-year-old sister. As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Missy wrote in the documents that “biological mother and father have substance abuse concerns and are (unable) to meet the (child’s) daily basic needs.”
Later that same month, the court appointed Missy as both children’s guardian. From then on, court records show Missy had to submit reports about every six to seven months for the court to reissue her guardianship.
The paper trail shows that the final time the court issued Missy letters of guardianship was in September 2024.
Missy told the I-Team that she was in a car wreck two months later, in November, that left her with debilitating injuries. That’s when Missy said Johnson started caring for him.
In March 2025, the court sent Missy the first of two letters saying her latest Guardian’s Report was “past due” and that failing to file by an April deadline “will result in the dismissal of the guardianship.”
In May, a court order ended Missy’s guardianship “due to lack of filing the required (Guardian’s) Report.”
Missy told the I-Team that she didn’t get the past due notices and would have re-filed her reports if she had.
The month before, in April, is when Missy told the I-Team that Clark County Children Services came with her for a “walk-through” of Johnson’s house on Xenia Avenue in Dayton. Missy said she sat outside with her grandson while Children Service workers went through the home.
“I won’t deny what the grandmother has said, but I can’t confirm it either,” Virginia Martycz, Clark County Job and Family Services Director, told the I-Team’s lead investigator, John Bedell.
Martycz also said she could neither confirm nor deny if the agency had a case involving Hershall. She did tell the I-Team that the agency has been in contact with “law enforcement in Montgomery County” since Dayton Police started investigating his death.
“And we are complying with those requests,” she added.
The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office requested some of the same documents that the I-Team obtained, tied to Hershall and his sister. In a letter to the court, prosecutors wrote, “Montgomery County Children Services through the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office has an open case.”
When the I-Team asked the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office what date that case was opened, the office said that they had not been involved with the boy’s family prior to this past weekend.
The I-Team also asked Montgomery County Children Services the same question.
“This situation is heartbreaking, and we extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected. While this tragedy did not fall under our jurisdiction, we join the community in mourning this loss. Ohio law prevents Children Services from confirming or denying if there was a case involving this family. Specific sections for reference include R.C. 2151.141, R.C. 2151.421 and R.C. 5153.17.”
— Montgomery County Children Services Associate Director Craig Rickett
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