Oriskany, NY - A close relative who wanted to help Levon Wameling's father after his baby went missing this summer offered him money to paint the house, but later accused him of stealing precious heirloom jewelry and $1,200 in cash.

"All I wanted to do was help him and help find his son," William Kahler, of Oriskany, told troopers. He eventually fired Jevon Wameling, 27, after things kept disappearing, including his wife's third-generation diamond necklace and cash from her purse.

"I finally had enough of Jevon," Kahler said.

A portrait of Jevon Wameling's messy life is contained in court paperwork filed last week, when he was charged with burglarizing his step-uncle's home in Oriskany. A day after his arrest, state police divers found what is believed to be his 10-month-old son's body in the Mohawk River in North Utica. Authorities have not yet charged anyone in the baby's death or said how they were led to that spot.

Levon Wameling, a 9-month-old, is believed to be dead after Utica police found infant remains in the Mohawk River.

Jevon Wameling is described as broke, unpredictable, addicted to drugs and threatened by drug dealers in nine pages of statements from him and relatives. At one point, he spent time in a mental hospital. Following his arrest, Wameling was sent to the Oneida County jail with bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.

Baby Levon's mother, Amy Warney, describes her boyfriend showing up at her house in August wearing thick silver chains around his neck and two new rings. He showed her a tear-drop necklace with six diamonds, but later took it back.



"I do not believe Jevon bought the jewelry," Warney told troopers. "I have known Jevon to steal things in the past. Jevon is addicted to heroin, cocaine and hydro's (hydrocodone) and addicts will do anything for money or to get high."

Wameling told troopers he had been threatened by drug dealers over the stolen jewelry, though he did not explicitly admit to taking it. "I know who had the stuff, a guy named 'Justice,' " Wameling said in his statement. "Justice and a few other drug dealers threatened my life." He later repeated he was afraid and "wanted to stay away from the necklace." The necklace and other jewelry were recovered during an investigation and raid at the home of one of Wameling's friends.

"I am happy (my step-aunt) is getting her heirloom necklace back," Wameling said. He added his stepfather, Blair, had paid the Kahlers back for their stolen money.

His step-uncle said he offered Wameling a job as a favor to keep his mind off the search for Levon. "I have known Jevon since he was four years old," Kahler said. "Since Levon went missing, our whole family is concerned and confused. I acted as someone who Jevon could talk to and get advice from."

In July, Wameling's stepfather asked if there was any work he could do. Wameling asked, too. "I thought it would be good for Jevon to keep busy and earn some money," Kahler said. They agreed on $10 an hour. He was not allowed in the house unless the family was home.

But Wameling showed up inconsistently, sometimes not showing for days. Withholding his pay until he worked consecutive days didn't help, Kahler said.

In early August, Mary Anne Kahler went to pull some money for an upcoming vacation, and found $1,200 missing from a small purse in her bedroom.

"We were both disappointed that money was missing, but we did not do anything to address it," William Kahler wrote. But a few days later, he called his brother and asked if he'd seen Wameling with any extra money.

It turned out that Wameling's mother, Karen, had seen him flashing about $1,000.

"Jevon told his mother that he saved the money, but the people familiar with Jevon knew that wasn't true because Jevon did not save money," Kahler said. "I certainly did not pay Jevon anywhere near that much money."

And things kept going missing.

On Aug. 11, Mary Anne Kahler went to make a donation at church and discovered the money in her purse was gone.

On Aug. 13, she discovered her grandmother's diamond teardrop necklace missing from a jewelry box on a dresser. It's not clear when it was taken.

The Kahlers called Wameling to confront him about the thefts.

"When I told him now much the necklace meant to me, he did not deny taking it," Mary Anne Kahler said. "He told me that he would see what he could do about getting it back."



Later that day, Wameling entered a mental hospital, Kahler said.



Editor's note: A previous version of this story gave the incorrect last name for the longtime girlfriend of Jevon Wameling. Her name is Amy Warney.

Burglary paperwork for Jevon Wameling, father of missing Utica baby