The ex-boyfriend of the little boy’s mother beat him to death and dumped his battered, naked body in a trash bin, authorities allege

Elyjah Anthony Hearn.Credit : gofundme

The cause of death of a five-year-old California boy whose naked body was found in a dumpster last year has been revealed.

On July 12, 2025, the body of Elyjah Hearn was found wrapped in a blanket in a dumpster in Panorama City, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Now the medical examiner says in a newly-released autopsy report that Elyjah’s cause of death was blunt force trauma and his manner of death was homicide, ABC 7 Los Angeles, NBC Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Daily News report.

The little boy suffered horrendous injuries before he died including blunt-force trauma to the head and body, a broken jaw, a broken rib, a knocked-out tooth, multiple head contusions and abrasions and liver lacerations that caused internal bleeding in his thoracic cavity, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The medical examiner also found that the boy had sustained multiple blunt trauma injuries to his extremities that were in the process of healing, indicating prior alleged abuse, NBC Los Angeles reports.

The autopsy also detected trace amounts of methamphetamine in his body, ABC 7 reports.

The report also said “an asphyxial event cannot be ruled out,” per the Los Angeles Daily News.

Brycson Malik Gaddis, the ex-boyfriend of the boy’s mother, was arrested in July 2025 and charged with one felony count each of murder and assault on a child causing death, the District Attorney’s Office said in the statement.

On July 11, 2025, Gaddis allegedly beat the child to death in an apartment on Lanark Street in Panorama City, prosecutors said. The boy’s body was discovered naked the next day in a commercial parking lot dumpster.

ABC 7 obtained chilling surveillance video from the night of the alleged murder that appears to show a man holding something wrapped in a blanket while walking on the street where Elyjah’s body was found the following day. He was with a woman.

Gaddis pleaded not guilty.

“This is truly a heartbreaking and horrific case, and our deepest sympathies go out to the young victim’s family,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “We are committed to seeking justice and will ensure this defendant is held responsible for his actions.”

If convicted, Gaddis faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

He is being held on $2 million bail. It is unclear whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

The boy’s mother was questioned by police and released.

“Elyjah was a joyful, fun-loving child who brought light into every room he entered. He adored his family and was deeply loved in return,” a GoFundMe organizer wrote. “His laughter, energy, and innocent spirit touched everyone who knew him. His life was cut short far too soon, and our hearts are broken beyond words.”