Mother and Her Two Transgender Partners ‘Failed Miserably’ as Parents — Now Charged With Torturing 7-Year-Old Son to D.e.a.t.h
A seven-year-old boy from Cincinnati’s Oakley neighborhood was found dead in the most horrific circumstances imaginable, bound with duct tape inside a closet after weeks of severe abuse. William Michael Evans-Ellis died from blunt force trauma to the head. His body also showed an arm fracture, bruises too numerous to count, evidence of repeated beatings, possible burns, and signs he had been held underwater and choked.
On August 6, 2026, police responded to an apartment on Madison Road after a woman identifying herself as the boy’s mother walked barefoot into a nearby emergency room. She claimed her partner was trying to kill her and had taken her son. Officers entered the home and discovered William’s body. Investigators determined he had already been dead for roughly a day.
Three adults who lived in the apartment and described themselves as co-parents now face serious charges: the boy’s biological mother, Kaitlin Evans, 38, along with Kirby Rankin, 33, and Nessa Keaney, 23. Court records identify Rankin and Keaney as biological males. A Hamilton County grand jury later indicted each on 13 counts, including aggravated murder, murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, child endangering, and conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and kidnapping. All three remain held on $1.1 million bonds and have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors stated that the trio “failed miserably as parents” and committed “atrocious acts” that caused the child to suffer terribly. Evidence points to prolonged abuse lasting weeks. Detectives described the case as one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse they had encountered, citing impact injuries to the head and torso, restraint, and what they characterized as water torture.
William, who had autism and ADHD, had been largely cut off from extended family in the months before his death. His maternal grandparents said regular weekend visits stopped abruptly in early July. The boy’s other biological parent, Tara Ellis, told the court that contact had been blocked for nine months “over lies.” Ellis, who is not charged, expressed profound grief and said William had been “the light of our life.”
Court documents further allege that on July 4, Rankin sent an audio message to Keaney outlining a plan to kidnap and kill the child. The investigation continues, with authorities examining every detail of the household dynamics and the sequence of events leading to the fatal injuries. No death penalty specification has been filed at this stage, though prosecutors have indicated the option could be revisited as more evidence is compiled.
The case has left the community and first responders shaken. Cincinnati’s police chief remarked that no human being should have to witness such a scene. William’s family continues to grieve a child they describe as bright and full of life, while the three adults who shared his home face the prospect of spending the rest of their lives behind bars if convicted.
