Inset: Elious Rayne (GoFundMe). Background: Laron Gardner (WDRB).
A man from Kentucky is in jail, accused of violently attacking his 5-year-old son by kicking, slamming, and biting him, then allegedly throwing him down the stairs, resulting in the child’s death.
Laron D. Gardner Jr., aged 24, is facing charges including murder, first-degree child abuse, and assault, as noted by the Louisville Metro Police Department. Authorities were called shortly after 3 p.m. on Tuesday to a residence on Conestoga Avenue after reports of a young boy who had sustained “traumatic injuries attributed to a fall.” The injured boy was quickly transported to a children’s hospital by paramedics, where he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
An in-depth investigation contradicted the initial claim of a fall, with an autopsy revealing that Elious Rayne, the young victim, had suffered “numerous severe injuries to various parts of his body, leading to his death,” as per a report from the local CBS affiliate WLKY, citing an arrest affidavit.
At the time of the incident, Gardner was allegedly alone with Elious and his sibling. The sister informed the police that Gardner had attacked the boy by kicking, slamming, and biting him before pushing him down the stairs.
Gardner was taken into custody on Friday. During a Saturday court session, a judge set Gardner’s bail at $1 million cash. He is currently held at Louisville Metro Corrections.
As reported by WLKY, the judge commented, “There is no doubt that Mr. Gardner poses a threat to the community, as well as to the victims that remain in his household and potentially to the broader public.”
He has a court date scheduled for Sept. 15.
The boy’s family started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs.
“Not only have we lost Eli, we had to find out the way it happened,” the fundraiser said.
