An Ohio mother and two others are facing murder and child endangerment charges after her 7-year-old son was found dead in an apartment closet after being bound with duct tape.

Kaitlin Evans, 38, Nessa Keaney, 23, and Kirby Rankin, 33, have each been charged with murder and child endangerment in the death of William Evans, whose body was found on Thursday, Aug. 6, according to local outlets WXIX, WCPO and WLWT.

Officers from the Cincinnati and Norwood Police Departments were called to a home in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Oakley at around 1 p.m. on that day after receiving a report of a disturbance, at which time they found the boy unresponsive, according to WCPO. He was later pronounced dead.

During their arraignments in Hamilton County Municipal Court on Friday, Aug. 7, prosecutors said that the three women lived together in the home and co-parented William, who is Evans’ son, per WLWT.

A longtime homicide detective told a judge that the boy 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,” per WCPO.

A Cincinnati police vehicle.Raymond Boyd/Getty
The investigator also told the judge 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 witnessed, per WCPO.

“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.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Additionally, the detective claimed that Evans, Keaney and Rankin took a dog to the veterinarian and left the 7-year-old home alone.

He added that officials anticipate adding charges based on the 7-year-old’s autopsy results and additional interviews with witnesses.

Speaking with WLWT after the boy’s death, William’s grandparents, Mike and Tina Evans, remembered their grandson as a loving boy who spent many of his Fridays and Saturdays with his “Nona and Pawpaw.”

Related Stories
Man, 21, Allegedly Tried to Run Over Woman 3 Times After She Said ‘Good Morning’

Florida Dad Arrested After Allegedly Killing 2 of Teen Daughter’s Kittens, Injuring a Third to Punish Her

However, the grandparents claimed that during a visit about six weeks ago, the 7-year-old told them he didn’t want to go back home. Soon after, Evans, Keaney and Rankin refused to let them see William, they alleged.

The grandparents told the outlet that the last time they saw their grandson, about four weeks before his death, he had a bruise on his shoulder. The pair then met with an attorney and hired a private investigator on Wednesday.

Mike also shared that he rented a car to stake out the house on Thursday, but when he pulled up, he saw police cars outside.

“The detective came over and told us the situation, and so he said, William died, and I said, ‘Well, what about Katelin?’ And he said, ‘She’s downtown being questioned,’ ” Mike recalled to WLWT.

The detective, who spoke in court on Friday, claimed that Rankin disclosed her involvement in the “prolonged child abuse incident” and implicated Evans and Keaney as being “active participants,” per WCPO. An attorney for Keaney also said that Keaney attempted to administer treatment to the child after he was injured by someone else in the home.

A judge ordered a competency hearing for Rankin for early September.

Evans, Keaney and Rankin all pleaded not guilty, and bond for all three suspects was set at at $1.1 million.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Sources: https://people.com/mother-2-others-arrested-after-7-year-old-boy-with-disabilities-dies-12037079