A GoFundMe has been launched for William Evans, a seven-year-old boy who was found dead in an apartment closet, bound with duct tape, in Ohio. His mother and two other women are facing murder and child endangerment charges.
Kaitlin Evans, 38, Nessa Keaney, 23, and Kirby Rankin, 33, were each charged with murder and child endangerment in the case. William’s body was discovered on Thursday, August 6, according to WXIX, WCPO and WLWT.
William Evans GoFundMe
The GoFundMe describes William as a “beloved little boy whose life was taken far too soon.”
“Right now, the focus is on surrounding William’s loved ones with compassion as they grieve this unimaginable loss and begin the painful process of honoring his memory. William was deeply loved by so many, especially his grandparents, Mike and Tina, affectionately known as PawPaw and Nonna, as well as his aunt Allison, who he called Aunt Alli, and her goldendoodle, Louie,” the page says.
The funds raised will help the boy’s family create a memory in William’s honor.
{{/usCountry}}The funds raised will help the boy’s family create a memory in William’s honor.
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“William’s Nonna, Tina, hopes to honor his memory by establishing a foundation in his name—one that carries forward the love, kindness, and light William brought into the lives of those around him. The foundation’s mission will be to support children facing circumstances similar to those William and his loved ones experienced, providing compassion, resources, and meaningful support during some of life’s most difficult moment,” says the page.
“The foundation will be created in William’s honor so that his name may live on not only in the hearts of those who loved him, but also through acts of kindness and support for children who need it most,” it adds.
What happened to William Evans?
Officers from the Cincinnati and Norwood Police Departments arrived at a home in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Oakley at around 1 pm after receiving a report of a disturbance. While they initially found William unresponsive, per WCPO, he was later pronounced dead.
William was Kaitlin’s son, and the three women lived together in the home and co-parented him, prosecutors said during their arraignments in Hamilton County Municipal Court on Friday, August 7.
A longtime homicide detective told a judge that the child had mental disabilities, WXIX reported. He was found with “a number of injuries that would indicate physical beatings, blunt force injuries from a striking device on the face, torso, back, upper and lower extremities,” according to WCPO.
The investigator said that in his 21 years of law enforcement experience, this case is “probably one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse” that he had seen.
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“We believe the victim was choked underwater, held underwater for a long period of time. There was also some burn torture involved,” he alleged, adding that they believe “water torture” was involved.
The detective said that Kirby disclosed her involvement in the “prolonged child abuse incident” and implicated the two other women as being “active participants.” Nessa’s attorney claimed that Nessa attempted to administer treatment to the child after he was injured by someone else in the house.
A judge has ordered a competency hearing for Kirby for early September.
The three women pleaded not guilty. A bond for all three suspects was set at $1.1 million.