The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was discovered ‘encased in concrete’ inside a storage unit eight months after his death, has been charged with his killing
- Elisha Pankey, 43, was formally charged after the boy was discovered last month
- Denver Police did not comment on whether Caden McWilliams was in concrete
- They estimated the boy was killed at the beginning of May before being moved
- Pankey was charged with possesison of heroin two days before the discovery
Elisha Pankey, 43, was charged on Monday with child abuse and abuse of a corpse
The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was found ‘encased in concrete’ in a storage unit after he disappeared in May was charged Monday in the boy’s death.
Elisha Pankey, 43, was charged with child abuse resulting in the death of Caden McWilliams and abuse of a corpse.
The child was encased in concrete within the locked unit in Denver, sources told the Denver Post.
Police declined to comment but estimated Caden had been dead since the beginning of May.
He was discovered just two days before Christmas Day within the Denver storage facility after a tip-off from an unnamed source in neighboring Aurora.
Caden McWilliams, seven, was described by his elementary school teacher as a hard worker, positive and caring
The grisly discovery of the child’s corpse was made at the Denver storage unit after a tip-off from an unnamed source in neighboring Aurora
Pankey had been charged with possession of heroin in Aurora the day before the grisly find.
A judge has sealed all records in the case, including a document laying out the reasons for Pankey’s arrest.
Authorities have not said exactly when the boy was reported missing or released information about when or how he died.
Court records filed by prosecutors on Monday only provide a range of when authorities believe the crimes occurred.
A picture from social media shows a younger Caden McWilliams with his mother Elisha Pankey, who has been charged with his death
A Denver Police spokesman said on Friday that investigators believe McWilliams last attended school in May.
Denver authorities got involved when neighboring Aurora Police contacted them with information about a missing boy.
They found the boy’s body that day inside a unit at a self-serve storage facility.
Investigators believe Caden last attended school in May before he was killed
Aurora officers had arrested Pankey the previous day on suspicion of heroin possession after coming into contact with her while investigating a missing child, according to court records.
Aurora Police have declined to comment further on that missing child case.
‘Thanks to the tenacious work by both the Aurora and Denver Police Departments, we now know that young Caden was not only missing for several months, he was no longer alive,’ Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said Monday.
‘This is a terrible tragedy for the community. While this case will take time to resolve, it will take even longer for our community to learn and heal.’
As winter break ends this week, Denver Public Schools officials say grief counselors will be available for students and staff at the elementary school that McWilliams attended.
A statement from Denver Public Schools said: ‘The school principal Nichole Whiteman described Caden as a hard worker who did well academically and who was always positive, caring and lived the Ellis core value of Integrity.’
Pankey’s next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday morning and she remains jailed on a $250,000 bond.