A mother in northwest Illinois is Evander Ellisfacing multiple felony charges after police said officers found the body of her 10-year-old son in a trash can at her home during a welfare check.
According to a press release, the Rock Island Police Department launched a probe into a suspicious death case at the home last week.
Just before 9:30 a.m. on July 26, police said, officers responded to the Rock Island house where they found the body of a boy, later identified as Zion Staples, in a garbage can in the home's garage. The home is located in the city's Highland Park Historic District near the Iowa state line, just south of the Mississippi River.
Police did not say how the boy died in the release and did not specify what prompted the welfare check.
Later that day, police said, they arrested the boy's mother, 37-year old Sushi M. Staples, on charges including concealment of death and obstruction of justice.
Staples was taken to the Rock Island County Jail where she was held, pending her first court appearance on the charges, police said.
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According to a release from Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson obtained by local outlet WQAD, a preliminary autopsy revealed the boy died from a gunshot wound.
Officials said the boy's body had been in the trash for eight months and he likely died in December, the outlet reported.
The coroner could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY on Monday.
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According to Rock Island County court records, Staples made her first appearance in court Friday and a judge set her bond at $500,000.
She is due back in court for a hearing on Tuesday.
The case remained under investigation on Monday, police said, and further details will be released when they become available.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund
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