Three female adults are facing aggravated murder charges after prosecutors say they tortured a young Cincinnati, Ohio boy to death and left his body wrapped in duct tape.
Hamilton County prosecutor Connie Pillich announced Thursday, August 13, that a grand jury had indicted Kaitlin Evans, 38, Nessa Keaney, 23, and Kirby (Nathan) Rankin, 33, on 13 counts each in the death of William Michael Evans-Ellis, seven. The trio lived together in what investigators described as a shared household, where the child’s mother resided with her two partners and her son.
William’s body was discovered on the afternoon of Aug. 6, 2026, inside a closet at a Cincinnati apartment complex. His remains were bound with duct tape, and investigators believe he had been deceased for at least a day before anyone located him.
Injuries Too Numerous to Count
Hamilton County coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco provided details of the boy’s condition on August 11. She reported that William had suffered multiple head injuries, a broken bone, and what she called “too many bruises to count.” Officials determined that blunt force trauma to the head caused his death and that he had been tortured.
Each of the three defendants faces charges including murder, kidnapping, assault, child endangerment, and conspiracy. All are being held on a $1.1 million bond.
Prosecutor Vows Aggressive Pursuit
Pillich condemned the accused during a public statement, saying the adults had failed in their duty to protect William. “They failed miserably as parents,” Pillich said. “They committed atrocious acts causing this child to suffer terribly.”
The prosecutor pledged to aggressively pursue the case to guarantee that the defendants never walk free and cannot endanger another child.
False Claims Led to Grim Discovery
Evans initially reported her son missing, telling authorities that one of her partners had taken him. That claim ultimately directed investigators to the apartment where they made the grim discovery of William’s body duct-taped in a closet.
Family members who had seen the boy just weeks earlier described a stark contrast between the smiling child captured in recent photographs and videos and the horrific condition in which he was found. His grandparents recalled happy times with William, backed by visual evidence showing an unharmed, joyful child.
Evidence Points to Prolonged Abuse
The extensive nature of William’s injuries suggested to investigators that the violence had been deliberate and sustained rather than occurring in a single episode. The coroner’s findings, combined with the fact that the child had been dead for at least a full day before discovery, painted a picture of prolonged suffering.
The grand jury indictment on Thursday, August 13, encompassed multiple categories of violent felonies. The kidnapping-related charges indicate that prosecutors believe the adults who were supposed to care for William instead restricted his freedom.
For relatives who knew William as a happy child, the revelations have proven devastating. The disconnect between their memories and the reality of his final days has left loved ones searching for answers that may never fully come. As the case proceeds toward trial, prosecutors have committed to seeking the maximum penalties under Ohio law for a crime that ended a seven-year-old’s life before he had any chance to defend himself.
