Cause of death revealed for 5-year-old boy found in Panorama City dumpster

Updated 2 hours ago
We now know the cause of death of a 5-year-old boy whose body was found in a Panorama City dumpster last July.

Surveillance video obtained by Eyewitness News shows a man and woman carrying something, or someone, wrapped in a blanket on the same street where 5-year-old Elyjah Hearn's body was found.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Disturbing new video emerges in death of 5-year-old boy found dumped in Panorama City
Disturbing new video emerges in death of boy found in Panorama City


In the newly-released autopsy report, the medical examiner said the boy's cause of death was blunt force trauma, and his manner of death was homicide. The report detailed numerous lacerations, abrasions, and contusions all over the boy's body, in addition to significant internal injuries.

The autopsy found that the wounds showed variable stages of healing, indicating they were inflicted in multiple events or over a period of time.



The ex-boyfriend of the child's mother, Brycson Malik Gaddis, was arrested and charged with murder and assault on a child causing death. He's accused of killing Elyjah in July and disposing of his body in the dumpster.

Gaddis pleaded not guilty. If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of 25-years to life in state prison. He is not Elyjah's biological father, police said.
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