Inset: Elyjah Hearn (GoFundMe). Background: The California dumpster where 5-year-old Elyjah Hearn was found dead after his mother’s boyfriend allegedly killed him (KNBC/YouTube).
A 5-year-old boy from California was found wrapped in a “fleece throw blanket” inside a dumpster — with broken bones, contusions and cuts all over his body — after being killed by his mother’s boyfriend, officials say.
Malik Brycson Gaddis, 21, discarded the body of the victim, Elyjah Hearn, in a dumpster in the 8200 block of Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City on July 12, 2025, after murdering him a day earlier, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The results of Elyjah’s autopsy were released online this week by the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office and showed the youngster died from blunt force trauma and extreme violence at the hands of Gaddis, who was dating the boy’s mother, according to police and family.
Elyjah was found naked and wrapped in a “fleece throw blanket,” according to the autopsy report. Elyjah’s family told local NBC affiliate KNBC that he had autism and was living with his mother.
The autopsy showed that many of Elyjah’s injuries were in the process of healing; they included a broken jaw, a tooth that was knocked out, head contusions and abrasions, cuts on his face, a broken rib and liver lacerations.
“This is truly a heartbreaking and horrific case,” said LA County DA Nathan J. Hochman in a statement last July, following the arrest of Gaddis. “We are committed to seeking justice and will ensure this defendant is held responsible for his actions.”
Describing Elyjah, his grandfather told KNBC, “He was autistic, but that didn’t slow him down. He could pick your phone up and go through it, any tablet. His speech was slow, but he understood and he was loving.”
Gaddis faces murder and assault on a child causing death charges. The DA’s office says he “beat the child to death in an apartment” about a half mile away from the commercial parking lot dumpster where Elyjah was found.
Court records show that Gaddis has a domestic violence arrest and a protective order filed against him. He faces 25 years to life in state prison if convicted. He remains in custody on $2 million bail and is due in court on May 13.
