One of the worst crimes imaginable was confirmed as a homicide this week by the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office in Cincinnati, Ohio. William Evans-Ellis, 7, was found deceased at his home on Madison Road on Thursday, August 6th. The young boy was found with extensive bruises all over his body, plus, according to Hamilton County coroner Lakshmi Sammarco, Evans-Ellis suffered an acute fracture to the distal humerus (a portion of the upper arm connected to the elbow joint) that required a “fair amount of force.” The victim’s head was also fractured, with bone separation apparent. Coroner Sammarco confirmed at a press conference that first responders found the young child stuffed away and covered in duct tape in a closet at the family’s residence.
The official verdict is that blunt force trauma was the cause of death.
Ohio authorities announced this week that charges have been filed against Kaitlin Evans, 38, the deceased’s mother. More shocking still, William, who dealt with learning and development difficulties throughout his short life, was allegedly tortured to death not only by his mother but also by two live-in lovers named Ness Keaney, 23, and Kirby Rankin, 33, both of whom are females who identify as trans males. Investigators claim that this unholy trio regularly beat, burned, and used water to torture the seven-year-old, who was left to die in a closet. Sexual abuse has not yet been ruled out in the case.
Evans, Keaney, and Rankin are currently held on a $1 million bond, with an additional $100,000 requirement for all three. All three have been charged with various offenses ranging from murder to child endangerment.
William’s biological father, Thomas Ellis, has not been charged with any crimes. According to probate court documents, Thomas Ellis legally changed his name to Tara Jane Evans-Ellis on December 18, 2023, indicating that William’s father now identifies as a trans female. The grief-stricken father told the court that Kaitlin Evans “kept him [William] from me for the past nine months over lies.”
An Ohio marriage certificate proves that Thomas Ellis and Caitlin Evans were married by a Roman Catholic priest on November 7, 2011. There is no documented evidence of a divorce or official separation.
The defense attorney for Nessa Keaney claims that Keaney attempted to render treatment to wounds caused by another member of the household but failed to report the injuries or seek outside medical aid. As for Kirby Rankin, their attorney cited documented mental health issues as a defense. Homicide investigators have, however, stated on multiple occasions that Rankin not only admitted to participating in the abuse but also implicated Ellis and Keaney as “active participants.”
A majority of neighbors who spoke with Cincinnati’s WLWT said they did not know a child lived at the Madison Road residence. On the day before William’s death, all three defendants took a pet to a local veterinarian to receive vaccinations while William was left alone at home. Then, hours before police arrived at the crime scene, Evans entered the Rookwood emergency department and claimed that Kirby Rankin was trying to kill her and had already taken her son. A barefoot and distressed Evans triggered a 9-1-1 call from a Rookwood employee, thereby setting in motion the discovery of William’s body.
In a final, wicked twist, harsher sentencing and more proactive law enforcement could have prevented this tragedy. Seven months before the crime, in January 2026, Butler County, Ohio resident Amy Bunnell was assaulted and threatened with a firearm by Rankin, Evans, and Keaney. The incident occurred in the parking lot of Jungle Jim’s, an “international market” located in the town of Fairfield. The three accused murderers alleged that Bunnell had tried to hit them with her car, and in response, Rankin shoved and punched Bunnell and brandished a firearm when bystanders intervened. The attack resulted in Bunnell suffering a concussion, a neck injury, a torn meniscus, and fractured teeth.
Butler County authorities charged Rankin with misdemeanor assault and aggravated menacing. Despite Bunnell’s attempt to bring the case before a grand jury with upgraded felony charges, Butler County authorities refused to do so, and Rankin was eventually released on a $100,000 bond. Rankin pled guilty to the misdemeanor charges and is scheduled to be sentenced by the Fairfield Municipal Court in September.
