Update (Aug. 15)
Eliasard Moneus has officially been charged in relation to the death of Jacob Moneus, his 3-month-old son.
According to court documents, Eliasard Moneus has been charged with:
- One count of murder
- One count of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony
- One count of aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony
- One count of criminal confinement resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 3 felony
- One count of domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony
- One count of domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony.
Original Story
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A man was arrested over the weekend after police found his wife battered and his 3-month-old son’s dead body stuffed in a sealed bucket.
According to court documents, the Lafayette Police Department began investigating 28-year-old Eliasard Moneus’ activity around noon on Saturday. At that time, officers were called to IU Health Arnett Hospital in reference to a domestic incident.
Police arrived at the hospital and spoke with Moneus’ wife, who explained she had been married to Moneus for 11 months. The woman also told officers she and Moneus had a 3-month-old son.
Per court records, the woman reported that Moneus had gotten upset with her on Aug. 5. She told police that between that date and Aug. 10, she and Moneus had not spoken with each other.
Police reporting indicates that, on Aug. 10, Moneus showed up at his wife’s residence. When he arrived, Moneus’ wife and son watched a church service in a bedroom.
According to court documents, Moneus struck his wife with a tire iron or wrench of some kind multiple times after he entered the residence. Once he stopped hitting her, Moneus left the scene in his car.
Moneus’ wife told police that before he began hitting her, Moneus took their 3-month-old son. When speaking with officers at the hospital, Moneus’ wife said she did not know where her son was because Moneus had taken him away from her before he began beating her with a tire iron.
Court records indicate that Moneus’ wife suffered a fractured skull during her interaction with Moneus and that she reportedly drove herself to the hospital after she had been beaten.
During a subsequent search of the woman’s residence, police found blood splatter and “other evidence” that indicated some sort of altercation had occurred.
During its first home sweep, law enforcement did not find Moneus’ 3-month-old son.
Previous reporting indicates that Indianapolis police helped LPD locate Moneus in Indy early Sunday morning. Court records show IMPD officers found Moneus at the Maison Garden apartment complex — which is located near 42nd Street and North Post Road in Lawrence.
While LPD was searching for both Moneus and the child, Indiana State Police issued a Silver Alert for the missing 3-month-old. The Silver Alert was announced at around 7:45 p.m. Saturday.
ISP’s press release indicated that the child — Jacob Moneus — had disappeared around noon on Saturday. State police reported Jacob Moneus was wearing a blue shirt with a black bird on it and a diaper at the time of his disappearance.
ISP also indicated that Jacob might have been in extreme danger and in need of medical assistance.
State police canceled the Silver Alert for Jacob around 8:43 a.m. Sunday. The Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office reported that it was called around 5:25 a.m. Sunday to a home along the 2500 block of Lexington Court in Lafayette for a deceased infant.
According to court documents, crime scene technicians found a baby’s body stuffed inside an orange bucket with a snap-seal lid at approximately 4:53 a.m. Sunday. The bucket had been set next to a trash can at the residence where Eliasard had allegedly battered his wife.
Court records indicate investigators found the child’s body and “dark-colored liquid” inside the bucket.
During an interview, police asked Eliasard if Jacob was safe. Eliasard initially told police he had no knowledge of the child’s whereabouts. When police pressed Eliasard further about the 3-month-old’s status, he told officers the child was okay.
According to court documents, Eliasard did not elaborate any further on the child’s whereabouts during his interview with police.
Police reported that Eliasard did admit to hitting his wife “two or three times” with a tool from his vehicle. Court records indicate Eliasard told police he hoped his wife was going to die from her injuries.
According to the Tippecanoe County Jail logs, Eliasard has been preliminarily charged with domestic battery resulting in serious injury, domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon, domestic battery committed with a child less than 16 years old present and attempted murder.
A bond request form obtained by FOX59/CBS4 also indicates Eliasard Moneus “has few ties, if any, to the community” and “is a foreign national believed to be unlawfully present in the United States.”
An autopsy was scheduled to be performed on Eliasard’s son on Monday. The autopsy states that the preliminarily cause of death for the infant was asphyxia. The Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office has preliminarily ruled the child’s death a homicide.
Information on Eliasard Moneus’ court case has yet to officially be published on Indiana’s public court reporting system. As of this article’s publication, no additional information on police’s investigation of Eliasard Moneus had been made available.
