Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Connie Pillich revealed Thursday that law enforcement officials had text message evidence from the Signal encryption app indicating three suspects planned in advance to kidnap and murder a 7-year-old boy.
The victim, William Evans-Ellis, was found dead bound with duct tape inside his mother’s apartment in Oakley, Ohio, where he shared living space with two others. Pillich stated the child had been deceased for approximately one day prior to discovery and that the three suspects took a dog to a veterinarian the day before his body was found—a detail raising suspicion he was already dead when they left.
The coroner’s office determined William died from blunt force trauma to the head, with injuries including a broken bone, severe bruising, possible burn marks, and water torture. These findings indicate prolonged and severe abuse.
Police arrested 38-year-old Kaitlin Evans, the boy’s biological mother, as well as 23-year-old Nessa Keaney and 33-year-old Kirby Rankin. The trio has been indicted on more than a dozen charges, including aggravated murder, murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault. Police records indicate Keany and Rankin are both biological males but have been described as women by the media.
“This child was failed by the adults who were supposed to protect him,” Pillich said. “The child was only 7 years old. He was vulnerable, he was dependent on the adults around him, and he deserved to be protected from harm. Instead, he endured horrific abuse and ultimately lost his life.”
Pillich added, “This is a horrific, monstrous, unfathomable act. They failed miserably as parents. Instead, they committed atrocious acts, causing this child to suffer terribly.”
The three suspects are each held on $1.1 million bonds. Their attorneys for the two males have formally requested competency evaluations. The charges carry a possible sentence of life in prison without parole.
Pillich described the case as “heartbreaking and deeply disturbing from the beginning,” stating, “Nothing can undo what happened to this child, but we can make sure his death is fully investigated and that those responsible face the consequences in court.”
