Father of 4-year-old boy who was murdered apologizes for leaving him in Dallas

The father of a boy who was kidnapped and murdered in Dallas is apologizing for not being there to protecting his child.

DALLAS - The father of a boy who was kidnapped and murdered in Dallas is apologizing for not being there to protecting his child.

Trevor Gernon says he's in mourning for his son, 4-year-old Cash Gernon. He did not reveal where he's been and sent a prepared statement posted by his sister on YouTube.

"I am so sorry I failed to keep him safe. That is my job as a dad and I was not able to do that and I'm sorry," he said. "To make matters worse, I have to fear for my freedom as it is the goal of some to see me go to jail rather than grieve the loss of my little boy. All I want to do is have that one thing that every parent deserves to say goodbye and be with my son one last time."

Cash was found dead on a Dallas street on May 15. Police have not said exactly how the boy died, only that he suffered multiple wounds from an edged weapon.

Cash and his twin brother were staying at a home in southwest Dallas.

Their father said he left the boys with Monica Sherrod, a woman he’s known for several years, because he could not find a job and was going back to Houston. He decided they would be better off with Sherrod and left in late February. But according to police, he never contacted Sherrod after he left.

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"This choice I made with the best of intentions has resulted in the most horrific outcome. I have paid the most ultimate, painful price for my poor judgment and I have to live with this devastation every single day. I will never forgive myself," he said. "If I could, I’d go back and do everything different. This is a nightmare that doesn’t go away once I open my eyes in the morning."

In his recorded statement Monday, Gernon never mentioned the twins’ biological mother and didn’t say why he wouldn’t leave the kids with their own family. Their mother’s family had been looking for the boys for several months.

Gernon, who didn’t disclose where he recorded his statement, says he’s afraid of going to jail.

FOX 4 spoke off-camera with a young man who lived in the home with Cash. He says, the suspect lives down the street and was seen on surveillance footage from inside the house taking the child while he was sleeping. They don’t know why. He believes he entered the house through a back door.

Darriynn Brown, 18, is charged with breaking into Sherrod’s home and kidnapping Cash. He could be charged with murder once the investigation is complete.