Court documents say that Lucas Hernandez, the boy who went missing from his Wichita, Kansas home almost two months ago, was seen with bruises, cuts, and black eyes before he vanished, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. The legal documents, filed in juvenile court, involve the 1-year-old daughter of Lucas' stepmother, Emily Glass, who is now behind bars.
The court document, called a child-in-need-of-care petition, indicates the household in which Lucas and Glass' daughter lived was "dysfunctional and violent," according to The Wichita Eagle. The document was filed on February 23, indicating that Glass' daughter was not safe in the home.
Lucas' father, Jonathan Hernandez, often worked out of state and was gone for long periods of time, so while working, he left Lucas in the care of Glass.
The Wichita Eagle offers a cohesive timeline and details about what went on in Lucas' home beginning on February 22, 2016, when Glass reported she and Hernandez were fighting.
Between that time and the day Lucas was reported missing, witnesses reported seeing numerous bruises on the 5-year-old boy's face and body. In May of 2016, the Kansas Department for Children and Families received a report that Lucas was suffering suspected abuse. The report said that when asked about the bruising, Lucas said his stepmother, Glass, did not like him anymore, according to The Wichita Eagle.
