Cash Gernon was taken out of his bed at 5 a.m. on May 15, killed with what is described as an "edged weapon" and left in a street half a mile from the home he was staying in, according to Dallas police.
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The child and his twin brother were staying with their father's girlfriend, who told police that the boys' father had been gone since March.
"This choice, I made with the best of intentions, has resulted with the most horrific outcome," Trevor Gernon said in a tearful audio-recorded statement released by his sister. "I have paid the most ultimate painful price for my poor judgment."
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Gernon said he decided to move back to Houston from Dallas and leave his twin boys in the care of his girlfriend. He moved in with her a couple of weeks prior. He said he knew the single mother for years before they entered into a relationship.
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"When I decided to move back to Houston, after an unsuccessful job hunt amongst other things, I felt it was in the boys' best interest to not disrupt their routine," Gernon said. "They were around other kids."
Gernon's sister said in an email to ABC7's sister station KTRK in Houston that she knows her brother is cooperating with police and CPS, but they are not certain where he is.
She described her brother as a "patient, attentive and loving father."
"I wish I could give you all of the answers, but I don't have all of them," Gernon said in the audio recording. "I am barely getting through a day that doesn't take me to a dark place."
Darriynn Brown, 18, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering and kidnapping in connection to the case. Police have not given a motive.
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Gernon fears for his freedom but did not elaborate on why. Court records show that he is wanted on at least five felony bonds in Harris County for two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, two drug charges, and a count of fraudulent use of identifying information.
"To make matters worse, I have to fear for my freedom, as it is the goal of some to see me go to jail rather than grieve the loss of my little boy," Gernon said.
In the audio message, the father said he would go back and do everything differently if he could.
Gernon's sister said their focus is making sure Cash is laid to rest and that his brother is in a loving home where he is cared for.