## Three adults indicted in the death of a 7-year-old boy
An Ohio mother and two live-in partners have been indicted in the death of 7-year-old William Evans-Ellis after authorities alleged the child was tortured, restrained, and killed following weeks of abuse.
According to reporting by LifeSiteNews, citing court documents and law enforcement statements, Kaitlin Evans, the boy’s biological mother, and her partners, Kirby Rankin and Nessa Keaney, were indicted Thursday on 13 counts each.
The charges reportedly include aggravated murder, four counts of murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, four counts of endangering children, and two conspiracy counts.
The defendants have been described by Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich as adults who lived together and acted as co-parents of the child.
## Prosecutor: Evidence showed planning weeks in advance
Authorities allege the abuse was not spontaneous.
According to court documents cited in the report, investigators said the suspects used the encrypted messaging app Signal as early as July 1 to discuss plans to kidnap, abuse, physically restrain, and kill the boy.
“This is a horrific, monstrous, unfathomable act,” Pillich said.
“The defendants lived together and acted as co-parents of the victim, and as parents, they did have the duty to protect this child from harm, provide care and social support, and obtain medical care, when necessary, but they failed miserably as parents,” she said.
Pillich added that the adults instead “committed atrocious acts” that caused the child to suffer terribly.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure these people never again see the light of day, and never again have the opportunity to harm another child,” she said.
## Police say the boy was found bound in a closet
Police found William’s body on August 6, according to the report. He was allegedly bound with duct tape and placed in a closet.
Detective Kyle Smith of the Cincinnati Police Department testified that the case stood out even after more than two decades in law enforcement.
“I’ve had 21 years of law enforcement experience. This was probably one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse I’ve witnessed in my career,” Smith said in court.
Smith said investigators believed the boy had been held underwater for long periods of time and that “burn torture” was also involved.
Alexandra “A.J.” Greer, identified by NewsNation as a forensic psychology researcher and supervised visitation monitor, said the alleged acts reflected a desire for total control.
“They wanted complete control over the child, and they tortured him in one of the most terrifying ways,” Greer told NewsNation.
## Coroner describes extensive injuries
Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco described a devastating scene during a press conference.
“We always say we expect the worst, and sometimes, we get it,” Sammarco said. “I opened the closet door and just froze for a while.”
Sammarco said the boy died from blunt trauma to the head.
“He had bruises that were too numerous to count and of various ages,” she said.
She also said “bones were separated,” according to the report.
## Prior assault case noted in report
The report also stated that defendant Kirby Rankin was out on bail at the time after a January arrest and conviction related to assault and aggravated menacing in an attack on a woman in a shopping center parking lot.
The child’s father was described as estranged from the mother and reportedly had not had visits with his son for nine months.
The allegations remain subject to court proceedings. The indictments are formal charges, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
