A Hamilton County grand jury Thursday indicted three people in the death of a 7-year-old boy whose body was found bound in a closet in Oakley Aug. 6.
The three are Kaitlin Evans, the child's mother, Nessa Keaney, and Kirby Rankin, also known as Nathan Rankin. The 13-count indictment includes charges of aggravated murder (1), murder (4), kidnapping (1), felonious assault (1), endangering children (4) and conspiracy (2).
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said the aggravated murder charge carries the possibility of life without parole.
"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. "Instead, they committed atrocious acts, causing this child to suffer terribly. And as for all of these monstrous crimes that were committed, 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."
According to the indictment, the three were allegedly planning their actions, and abusing and physically restraining the child as early as July 1, 2026. The indictment indicates investigators found evidence of the trio's plans in text message discussions on the Signal messaging app.
Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco this week announced blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death for William Evans-Ellis. She estimated he'd likely been dead for a least a day when he was found.
In addition to the head wound, Sammarco said Evans-Ellis' upper arm bone was broken, he had numerous bruises of varying age, and other head wounds. His body was bound so that he could not move, though there was no tape over his mouth, she said. Otherwise, he was in the 50th percentile for weight and height and looked fairly well nourished, she said.
As of earlier this week, toxicology, DNA results and other testing were still being done to determine any possible further injuries, and the coroner's office was still waiting to receive the boy's medical records.
Pillich said the investigation is still underway and additional facts and information could still come to light.
"This is a horrific, monstrous, unfathomable act, and I think we will remember it for a very, very long time," Pillich said. "I just beg everyone in our community to remember that there are children out there, in your neighborhoods, in your parks, and we all have a duty to protect children, even if they're not ours. You see something, just pay attention, so that we can prevent this. We can come together and prevent future horrors for other children."
An arraignment is set for 9 a.m. Friday before Judge Christian Jenkins.
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