Overview
- Police found 7‑year‑old William Evans unresponsive in an Oakley apartment closet on Thursday, August 6, and later determined he had been bound with duct tape and showed signs of prolonged physical abuse.
- Cincinnati authorities arrested William’s mother Kaitlin Evans, Nessa Keaney and Kirby Rankin and charged each with murder and child endangerment; all three pleaded not guilty at arraignment and a judge set bond at $1.1 million for each.
- A homicide detective told a judge investigators observed numerous injuries consistent with beatings and blunt‑force trauma and said they believe the boy was subjected to water and burn torture.
- Records show Rankin was convicted in a January assault at Jungle Jim’s and remained free on a $100,000 bond while awaiting sentencing; the victim and her husband say they repeatedly warned prosecutors that Rankin lived with a young child, while the Butler County prosecutor defends the original charging decisions.
- Officials say the investigation is ongoing with an autopsy and more witness interviews pending, a competency evaluation for Rankin has been requested, and a grand jury review is scheduled for August 17, with prosecutors warning additional charges could follow.