Man Suspected In Death Of 5-Year-Old Found In Dumpster Had Been Stalking Boy's Mother: Report

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 20-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy whose body was found in or near a San Fernando Valley dumpster.

Brycson Malik Gaddis was taken into custody by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Station and was being held in lieu of $2 million bail, according to police and sheriff's jail records.

A second person, who has not been identified, was arrested on unrelated charges, police said.

The arrests come after five people were taken in for questioning in connection to the death of the boy, identified by police as Elyjiah Hearn.

Elyjiah's grandfather told a reporter that Gaddis is the boy's mother's ex-boyfriend who had been stalking her.

Police found Elyjiah's body on the 8200 block of Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City at around 7 a.m. Saturday. The boy's body was located in or near a dumpster in an empty parking lot, KTLA reported.

"Since then, detectives have worked tirelessly. On July 15, a tip led them to a large Panorama City apartment complex in the 14500 block of Lanark. Around 9:30 p.m., a search warrant was served at one unit — 2 adults (1 male, 1 female) were detained, and two children were at the unit," the LAPD said earlier Wednesday.

Detectives were still collecting evidence at the property nearly four hours later, when two additional adults — two men and one woman — were detained near Sunset Boulevard and Ivar Avenue in Hollywood, police said.

All five adults were taken in for questioning. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services took custody of the two children, police said.

Elyjiah's grandfather told the Los Angeles Times that Gaddis is the ex-boyfriend of the child's mother. The boy's mother was among the five questioned, but she was ultimately released. Gaddis had been stalking Elyjiah's mother and kidnapped the two of them, the grandfather, Troy Hearn Sr. said.

"It's very heartbreaking for him to do that to my 5-year-old grandson," he told The Times. "I'm identifying the body this afternoon. I'm overwhelmed and so angry that I can't even explain it. This guy is a bad guy and it's lucky that the police has him."

A law enforcement source told the paper the boy suffered "massive injuries," including a broken jaw, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver. An official cause of the boy's death has not been released.

City News Service contributed to this report.