A mother and two co-parents have been charged with murder in the death of 7-year-old William Evans, who was found bound and unresponsive in a closet in a Cincinnati apartment. Kaitlin Evans, 38, Kirby Rankin, 33, and Nessa Keaney, 23, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges. The investigation began after the child's grandparents, Mike and Tina Evans, hired a private investigator due to concerns about abuse.
According to reports, a hospital supervisor contacted 911 after a woman, who identified herself as William's mother, arrived at an emergency room claiming her partner had tried to kill her and had taken her son. The woman told the nurse her son was being held in the attic of a nearby apartment. Police were dispatched to the apartment for a welfare check.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the child in a closet. Dispatch records indicated a juvenile was found tied up in a closet. Fire personnel were directed to expedite their response. Cincinnati Fire Department personnel later determined William Evans was deceased. Booking photos show Rankin, Keaney, and Evans, all wearing yellow jail uniforms.
Cincinnati homicide Detective Kyle Smith testified in court that William had suffered severe beatings over the previous two months, describing the case as one of the most disturbing child abuse incidents he has encountered. Investigators believe William was held underwater for an extended period. Smith stated that Rankin admitted to involvement in the abuse and implicated Evans and Keaney as active participants.
William's grandparents had expressed fears that the residence had become a "house of horrors." They reported that William had told them about six weeks before his death that he did not want to return home. His mother later restricted contact with the grandparents. During a visit nearly four weeks before his death, the grandparents noticed a bruise on William's shoulder, which was the last time they saw him alive.
Concerned relatives met with an attorney and hired a private investigator to monitor Kaitlin Evans and William, fearing abuse of both. The grandfather stated he had intended to observe the home but arrived to find police vehicles outside, at which point a detective informed him of William's death and that Kaitlin Evans was being questioned.