DALLAS, Texas (KTVT )—Crews are continuing to search for evidence at a landfill in Rowlett on July 12 after police say a man confessed to putting the body of 18-month-old Cedric Jackson in a dumpster in Dallas.
Dallas police delivered the news Thursday afternoon, saying that Cedric’s body was found at the landfill after an Amber Alert was issued for the 18-month-old a day before. They also announced that the child’s aunt’s boyfriend, Sedrick Deshun Johnson, was arrested in connection to Cedric’s death.
“We regret to inform you that the Dallas Police Department has located the remains of a small child who we believe to be 18-month-old Cedrick Jackson,” said Maj. Vincent Weddington with the Dallas Police Department.
According to the arrest affidavit, Johnson would swaddle Cedric to restrict his movement and that the 27-year-old did it one time because the child made a mess with ketchup packets.
The affidavit stated that on July 10, Cedric was swaddled and began to throw up before becoming unresponsive. Johnson admitted to dumping the 18-month-old’s body in the trash.
Johnson explained that although Cedric’s heart was beating, he wasn’t moving despite attempts to perform CPR for at least 30 minutes. That’s when Johnson decided to dispose of Cedric’s body in the dumpster.
According to Cedric’s aunt, she woke up during the night he went missing and found that both the child and Johnson were gone from the northeast Dallas apartment.
Johnson was arrested and charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. He may face more charges as the investigation continues.
Cedric’s body was found at the landfill in Rowlett shortly after 11 a.m. on Thursday, police say. The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of the child’s death.
Crews could be seen Friday morning at the landfill continuing to search for evidence.
Police also said that a child who lives in the same apartment witnessed someone resembling a relative entering the apartment and taking Cedric during the night, the Dallas Police Department said in an alert.
“A juvenile witness, who lives at the location, described someone who looked like a relative as having taken Cedric at some point during the night,” said Maj. Max Geron during a news conference.
Police said the witness did not talk about it until the next morning because she was frightened.
According to the warrant, a child in Jackson’s home said Cedric was regularly swaddled too tightly, and that he would “always fuss and cry prior to bedtime,” reported CBS 19.
The CPC has since removed six children, aged between 6 and 10 from Jackson’s Dallas home, it told NBC 5 on July 11.
The exact cause and manner of Cedric’s death is still under investigation by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, as well as the identification of the remains, Weddington said.
Meanwhile, the suspect remains in Dallas County Jail. Further charges could still be issued depending on the findings from the coroner’s report, police said.
Cedric was first reported as missing Wednesday morning before a statewide Amber Alert was issued later in the evening. The alert was discontinued after police discover Cedric’s body.
A family member told CBS 11 News that a balloon release and candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m. at the Lake Highlands Recreation Center.
BREAKING: Sources with the Dallas Police department have told CBS DFW they believe the boy is dead, and investigators are searching landfills for his body https://t.co/wDxfs2EG2O
— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) July 11, 2019
Epoch Times reporter Isabel van Brugen, Venus Upadhayaya and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
