JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man whose ex-girlfriend is charged with killing his 4-year-old son in Missouri says he left his child in her care while he went to Chicago to visit his ailing mother.

WLS-TV in Chicago reports that Kijuanis Gray says he "trusted" 26-year-old Quatavia Givens to watch his son, Darnell Gray, and "wasn't expecting her to do this." Givens is jailed without bond on a charge of neglect or abuse of a child resulting in death.

No attorney is listed for her in online court records. Givens reported Darnell missing on Oct. 25. His body was found Tuesday in Jefferson City. Gray says he's no longer with Darnell's mother, who lives in Chicago. Police have declined to identify Darnell's parents and didn't immediately respond to questions Thursday.