Charges upgraded for 18-year-old accused of kidnapping and killing 4-year-old Dallas boy

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DALLAS - The man accused of kidnapping a young boy from his bedroom in Dallas is now facing additional charges.

Police charged 18-year-old Darriynn Brown with injury to a child with intentional bodily injury. He was already charged for burglary and the kidnapping of 4-year-old Cash Gernon.

Cash’s body was found on the street near his home in southwest Dallas earlier this month.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, video from a baby video monitoring system shows Brown taking him from his bed before dawn.

The affidavit is not clear about how Brown got into the house or what a motive would be for his alleged actions. It doesn’t indicate whether Brown had a relationship to anyone in the house, although a man who lived there referred to Brown as a neighbor.

Cash and his twin brother were living with their father’s former girlfriend.

In a statement, Trevor Gernon said he left the boys with a woman he’s known for several years because he could not find a job and decided they would be better off with her. He said he now regrets that decision.

"This choice I made with the best of intentions has resulted in the most horrific outcome. I have paid the most ultimate, painful price for my poor judgment and I have to live with this devastation every single day," the grieving father said.

He did not mention the twins’ biological mother or other relatives who had reportedly been looking for the boys for several months.

Cash’s twin brother has been placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Injury to a child is a charge police can present to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office while they wait for more forensic evidence from Cash’s autopsy.

Police said Brown could also be charged with murder once forensic evidence is processed.

Dallas police arrest 18-year-old in connection with murder of 4-year-old

Dallas Crime and Public Safety