An Indiana father is charged with murder, attempted murder, and battery after investigators believe he placed his 3-month-old kid in a bucket, causing him to asphyxiate, while attacking his wife.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, 28-year-old Eliasard Moneus is accused of removing his baby boy from his wife’s arms and dumping him in a bucket.
On August 10, the Lafayette police department issued a Silver Alert for 3-month-old Jacob Moneus, indicating that the child had been abducted and was in “extreme danger and may require medical assistance.”
The affidavit alleges that earlier that day, Jacob was seated at home with his mother, who was watching a televised church service when Moneus entered the apartment, removed Jacob from his wife’s hands, and fled.
Moneus’ wife told detectives that he was not in her presence for roughly 30 minutes, even though he was still in the apartment. When he returned to the room where she was, he began striking her with a “tire iron or wrench multiple times,” according to the affidavit. She didn’t know where Moneus had supposedly taken Jacob, she said.
According to the complaint, Moneus’ wife drove herself to a local hospital for treatment and was diagnosed with a skull fracture. Officers discovered lacerations on her skull, according to the affidavit. According to the affidavit, she told authorities at the hospital that she and Moneus had gotten into a quarrel and hadn’t spoken in five days.
According to the affidavit, after interviewing with the suspect’s wife, authorities launched a nationwide search for Moneus and Jacob. That following day, Indianapolis police tracked down the culprit at an apartment complex in Lawrence, Indiana.
Police then arrested him in connection with the suspected domestic incident, questioning him about Jacob’s whereabouts. Authorities said he told officers he had no idea where his youngster was. He also allegedly told investigators that he wished his wife had died from her injuries, according to the affidavit.
The next day, just before 5 a.m., police were searching for Moneus’ Lafayette apartment — where the domestic incident allegedly occurred — when an officer opened an orange bucket of a dark liquid sitting next to a garbage can in the home and discovered an infant’s body inside, according to the affidavit.
The Silver Alert was lifted later that morning, according to a press release released on Facebook by Lafayette police.
Officials stated in the affidavit that the infant was in “dark-colored liquid” within the bucket, and a news release issued by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office on August 12 verified that the baby died from hypoxia and was deemed a homicide.
According to Tippecanoe County Jail records, Moneus was detained by police in Lafayette, Indiana, on August 10 and charged with domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, domestic battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, attempted murder, and murder the next day. According to a court document acquired by PEOPLE, he was later charged with criminal confinement of his kid.
The 28-year-old appeared in court for an initial hearing on Thursday, Aug. 15, and informed judge, Sarah Wyatt, through a court-appointed Haitian Creole translator, that he disagreed with some of the charges, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. PEOPLE received an initial hearing order in which the judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
Moneus may face 45 to 65 years in prison if convicted of murder, and 20 to 40 years if convicted of attempted murder of his wife, according to the outlet. He also signed a no-contact order for his wife, and court records show that his jury trial will begin on January 21, 2025. He is next due in court on September 30.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.
