A 4-year-old boy who was kidnapped from his crib Saturday morning and brutally murdered has been identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office as Cash Gernon.
Gernon was sleeping in his crib when he was abducted and killed early Saturday with what police described as an "edged weapon." Gernon's body was inexplicably left in the street about a half-mile from his southwest Dallas home and was found by a passerby.
Video surveillance from inside the boy's home showed a man taking him from his crib at about 5 a.m. The boy's twin brother was not taken or harmed. A woman who lived at the home reportedly identified the man to police and he was later arrested.
That man was identified by Dallas police as 18-year-old Darriynn Brown on Sunday. Brown was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping and theft. Detectives anticipate more charges will follow but are awaiting the results of forensic analysis.
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As of this writing, Brown has not been charged with any other crime. Attorney Robbie McClung said she was assigned by a judge to the case Monday. McClung told NBC 5 Monday afternoon she had not yet met with her client and had no update to share.
Kamron Moori, who lives at the home from where police said the boy was kidnapped, said he's as hurt as he is confused by what's taken place.
“He was the sweetest boy ever,” said Kamron Moori. “Like why? He was 4. Who does this to a 4-year-old kid? For what? For what reason? Because you want to be evil?”
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Moori explained his mother previously dated Gernon's father and that the man moved out of the house several months ago leaving the twins in their care.
Moori said there was no sign of forced entry and insisted he locked his house before going to bed. He also said they installed home surveillance cameras inside the house because they are "very protective" and because the neighborhood occasionally has problems with crimes.
“We got cameras all over the place in my house,” said Moori. “It shows him coming in, took him while he was asleep. While he was asleep. Carried him out of my house while he was asleep.”
At about 11 a.m. Saturday, Moori's mother called the police to report the boy missing and Moori went out to search for him. About eight blocks away, on the 7500 block of Saddleridge Drive, Moori walked up on the scene where hours before, at about 7 a.m., a woman on her morning walk made a horrific discovery when she found a boy's lifeless, bloody body alone in the street.
He said he knew immediately that the scene was connected to Gernon's disappearance.
While a motive has not been determined or confirmed by police, Moori insisted the attack was random and that drugs were not involved.
“Yes, random. Out of nowhere,” he said. “No reason for none of this. It’s not from revenge, not from hate, not from none of that.”
With many unanswered questions, one thing for certain: The loss of the young man is senseless.
“He loved to play superheroes,” said an emotional Moori, of Gernon. “He always thought he was Iron Man.”
Moori told NBC 5 he went to Duncanville High School with the suspect, but that they are not friends. Brown, he said, is his younger brother’s friend and is known for walking around the neighborhood.
Gernon’s twin brother, Moori said, was removed from the home by CPS. Dallas police said Monday afternoon that Gernon's twin had been returned to his biological mother who had been searching for her sons for "an extended amount of time."
Moori said his two teen brothers were removed from the house and were taken to their grandmother’s home.
Dallas police on Monday clarified online rumors suggesting Moori’s mother is the twins’ biological mother, which is not the case. Police also want to caution the public that fraudulent GoFundMe accounts had been set up with the family as benefactors. "Please verify the source before donating," suggested police.
