Disturbing Child Abuse Case Rocks Ohio
Three adults have been charged in connection with the death of a 7-year-old Cincinnati boy after police discovered the child dead inside a closet, his body reportedly restrained with duct tape.
The details presented by investigators are difficult enough without embellishment.
Kaitlin Evans, 38, Nessa Keaney, 23, and Kirby Rankin, 33, face murder and child-endangerment charges in the Aug. 6 death of William Evans. WXIX-TV reported that the boy had been described as having a mental disability.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.
One homicide detective described the allegations as “probably one of the most disturbing cases of child abuse” he had encountered during his 21 years on the job.
Investigators allege William endured an extended period of abuse involving beatings, fire and water. Authorities believe he was repeatedly struck, including blows to the back of his head.
“We believe the child was choked underwater, held underwater for a long period of time,” the detective said.
Police ultimately found William dead and duct-taped inside the Cincinnati residence.
MORE TRANS VIOLENCE
Three individuals have been charged with M*RDER in Ohio after a 7-year-old boy was found DEAD inside a home.
Kaitlin Evans, the boy's mother, was arrested alongside Kirby Rankin and Nessa Keaney, two MEN pretending to be women.
Detectives say the boy was… pic.twitter.com/ZrjTbMXIyT
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 7, 2026
Rankin, Evans and Keaney lived at the home with William. According to reporting by WKRC, Rankin acknowledged participating in what authorities characterized as a “prolonged child abuse incident” and implicated the other defendants as participants.
William's father spoke publicly after the killing, describing both his grief and his belief that he had been prevented from seeing his son.
“Willie was my life. I trusted you to care for him,” he said. “They kept him from me for the past nine months over lies.”
The case has also brought additional scrutiny to Rankin's history.
WXIX reported separately that Rankin had recently been convicted of misdemeanor assault and aggravated menacing stemming from a January incident involving another woman. Rankin's attorney has also said the defendant has “documented serious mental health issues” and requested a competency evaluation.
Photographs of Rankin additionally show a forearm tattoo reading, “This machine kills fascists.”
That phrase has a political history, although the tattoo alone does not establish Rankin's political affiliation or prove involvement with Antifa, anti-Trump organizations or any other political group. “This machine kills fascists” is famously associated with folk musician Woody Guthrie, who displayed the words on his guitar during the 1940s.
Without additional evidence about Rankin's political activities, drawing a direct connection between the tattoo and the alleged killing would go beyond what investigators have publicly established.
The defendants' gender identities are similarly separate from the evidence concerning William's death. Keaney and Rankin have been reported as identifying as women, but authorities have not indicated that gender identity played any role in the alleged abuse.
What prosecutors are alleging is already extraordinary on its own.
A 7-year-old child was found dead inside the home where he lived. Investigators allege he had suffered prolonged abuse involving beatings, burning and being held underwater. One of the defendants reportedly admitted participating in abuse, while authorities say the investigation remains active.
Each defendant is being held on $1.1 million bond.
More charges could follow once the Hamilton County Coroner's Office completes its work and authorities receive William's final autopsy results.
For now, murder and child-endangerment charges are accusations, not convictions, and all three defendants retain the presumption of innocence.