A Kentucky man is facing murder and child abuse charges after authorities say he viciously attacked his 5-year-old son before pushing him down a staircase, leading to the child’s death.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old L. Gardner, was arrested days after the incident and arraigned over the weekend. A judge ordered him held on a $1 million cash bond, citing him as a serious threat to children and the wider community, and issued a no-contact order with all minors. Gardner remains in custody and is due back in court on September 15.
Emergency crews were called to Gardner’s home Tuesday after he reported that his son had been injured in a fall. The boy was rushed to a children’s hospital, but doctors quickly determined his injuries were not consistent with a staircase accident. A forensic medical exam revealed multiple severe injuries across his body, ultimately leading to his death the next day.
Investigators later learned that Gardner was the only adult at home with his two children — the victim and his sister. The young girl told police that her father repeatedly assaulted her brother, kicking, slamming, and even biting him before pushing him down the stairs.
Police arrested Gardner on Friday, and during his arraignment, the judge condemned him as “a danger to this community and a danger to victims that remain in the household.”
The boy’s family is now mourning what they describe as a devastating and senseless loss. A GoFundMe page has been launched to cover funeral expenses, with relatives expressing the heartbreak of not only losing the child but also learning the brutal truth of how he died.
The case has left the community shaken, raising painful questions about how such abuse went unnoticed until it was too late.
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