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Disturbing image caught on video before remains of 5-year-old were found dumped at LA parking lot
Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Disturbing image caught on video before remains of 5-year-old were found dumped at LA parking lot

The video was posted by a business owner in the area who was upset no one reported alleged abuse.

Residents of a Los Angeles neighborhood were shocked in July when the remains of a 5-year-old boy were found near a dumpster in a parking lot, and new evidence in the case is adding to the horror.

Police were called to a parking lot on Van Nuys Boulevard in the Panorama City neighborhood after a homeless man reported finding the remains of a child, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

'They are the neighbors of the child, and they know that that baby was neglected and abused. ... People saw something and didn't say anything.'

"This is horrific, and it impacts every single one of us that comes to these scenes, everyone at home who hears about these scenes," LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar said, as reported by Blaze News at the time.

A few days later, the LAPD arrested 20-year-old Brycson Malik Gaddis and charged him with murder and assault on a child causing death. Gaddis is the ex-boyfriend of the mother of the boy, who was identified as Elyjiah Hearn.

On Monday, KABC-TV obtained surveillance video from the night of the crime showing a man carrying an object that was wrapped in a blanket near the area of the crime scene.

"You can see a head and small feet dangling," said Yousef Rabadi, who co-owns E&J Market and Liquor.

Rabadi says a security guard gave him a copy of the video.

KABC reported that a similar video is described in a search warrant for Gaddis' residence. Police say the "victim was wrapped in a multicolored blanket" and that the same blanket was later found around the remains.

Police also found indications of blood in the man's apartment, including the bathroom sink, a drain, backsplash, and inside a tote bag, according to the warrant.

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"Some of my customers, they are the neighbors of the child, and they know that that baby was neglected and abused," Rabadi continued. "So it had been going on for a long time, you know? ... People saw something and didn't say anything. So that's why I took the liberty of, like, posting that video."

An autopsy found that the child had suffered a fractured jaw, fractured ribs, and a lacerated liver.

Bail for Gaddis was set at $2 million. A woman seen on the video next to Gaddis was identified as the boy's mother, but she has not been charged.

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Carlos Garcia

Carlos Garcia

Staff Writer

Carlos Garcia is a staff writer for Blaze News.