Father of dead boy comments on ex-girlfriend charged in his death

(A-P) — A man whose ex-girlfriend is charged in the killing of his 4-year-old son in Jefferson City says he believed she would take care of his child while he visited his ailing mother in Chicago.

Kijuanis Gray told WLS-TV in Chicago that he “trusted” Quatavia Givens, 26, to look after his son, Darnell Gray, at his home in Jefferson City, and that he “wasn’t expecting her to do this.”

Givens was charged Wednesday with neglect or abuse of a child resulting in death. No attorney who can speak on her behalf is listed in online court records.

After Givens reported Darnell missing on Oct. 25, authorities went door-to-door, drained a retention pond and used a helicopter in the search for the boy. Givens didn’t tell authorities where his body was until after it was found Tuesday in a wooded area near Lewis and Clark Middle School in Jefferson City, according to charging documents. An autopsy determined he had suffered blunt and sharp force trauma.