Coroner releases cause of death for 7-year-old boy found in closet in Oakley
The child had bruises too numerous to count, all in various ages, Sammarco said. He also had an acute fracture of the distal humerus (the lower end of the upper arm bone that forms the upper part of the elbow joint), meaning it took a “fair amount of force.”
“Bones were separated,” Sammarco said.
Many questions remain about what happened to Evans-Ellis, who was found dead inside a closet at a home on Madison Road in Oakley last week.
“We always say we expect the worst. Sometimes, we get it,” Sammarco said when describing the moments she entered the home and opened the closet door.
She said the child had likely been dead for “at least a day” before he was found.
“We don’t know all of the circumstances. Yes, he was bound when we found him. As far as I know, the investigation is still going on,” Sammarco said.What we know about the death of William Evans-Ellis: Timeline, 911 calls, charges
She went on to say it’s hard to tell if Evans-Ellis died in the house. She said the house was empty when they arrived.
“Nothing to indicate a major trauma scene in the room we were in,” Sammarco said, but said they didn’t see every space inside of the house.
She did say there were firearms and ammunition in the house.
She also shared the home was messy, but also saw a room with Legos and other toys inside.
When asked what she could make of it seeing toys inside the home but also knowing what the child was put through, she answered, “Does any of it make any sense to you? Because in 14-plus years, none of it makes any sense to me. None of it.”
Sammarco says they are still waiting for past medical records, saying, “I don’t have any indication of prior admissions.”
She said toxicology results are pending, but they aren’t ruling that out. When asked about any evidence of sexual abuse, she replied, “we never rule that out, especially on child abuse cases so we always check. That’s part of the DNA testing we do.”
Three charged
Three people are charged with murder and child endangerment in his death: His biological mother, Kaitlin Evans, and her two partners, Kirby Rankin and Nessa Keane.
All three remain in jail Tuesday morning.
Grandparents speak out
As the case plays out, Evans-Ellis’s grandparents are sharing more about what happened in the weeks before his death.
They shared video of him in their hot tub back in June. They say he would stay with them every weekend until their daughter, Kaitlin, started limiting those visits.
According to the grandparents, the last time they saw him was on July 12, and he appeared to be in good shape, with just a small, light bruise on his shoulder.
They started looking into legal avenues to make sure he was safe. The news of Evans-Ellis’s death came four weeks later.
They say they are focused on remembering his laugh, smile and the stories he would tell.
