Mom Of Dead Denver Boy, 7, Charged By DA

DENVER, CO —Charges were filed Monday against a woman who turned herself in to Denver police in connection with the death of her 7-year-old son in a Denver storage locker.

Elisha A. Pankey, 43, was charged by the Denver District Attorney's office with child abuse resulting in death and abuse of a corpse.

UPDATE: Denver Boy's Body Was Encased In Concrete: Sources

Details of the charges were not released, because the arrest affidavit was sealed by the court.

The body of Elisha Pankey's son, Caden McWilliams, was found in a storage unit Dec. 23, 2018 by Denver and Aurora police acting on a tip, according to documents obtained by the Denver Post. Caden attended Ellis Elementary School last year.

"This terrible loss is being felt throughout our entire school district and community," a statement from Ellis Principal Nichole Whiteman said.

Homicide investigators believe the boy died around May 24, 2018 at the storage facility in the 5000 block of East Evans Avenue, the Post reported.

“Thanks to the tenacious work by both the Aurora and Denver Police Departments, we now know that young Caden was not only missing for several months, he was no longer alive. This is a terrible tragedy for the community,” stated Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. “While this case will take time to resolve, it will take even longer for our community to learn and heal.”

Elisha Pankey was arrested earlier, on Dec. 22, for drug possession after an Aurora police officer involved in a missing person investigation for Caden. The officer found heroin in her hotel room at an Extended Stay hotel, an arrest affidavit cited by the Post said. She was released from the Arapahoe County jail on a recognizance bond on Dec. 24, the day after her son's body was found, the Post reported.

She is now being held in Denver County jail on $250,000 bond.

Her husband, Leland Pankey, is being held on a $25,000 bond for failing to appear in a domestic battery case. In November, 2017, Leland Pankey allegedly strangled his wife until she lost consciousness, an arrest affidavit said. He was charged with second-degree assault.

Leland Pankey has not been charged in the boy's murder.

According to Leland Pankey's arrest affidavit and a prosecutor's reported court remarks, Elisha and Leland Pankey were parents of two children.

Although the arrest affidavit for Elisha Pankey was under seal, the Post obtained 2018 homicide data through an open records request.

Denver Police are still requesting anyone with information regarding Elisha Pankey or her 7-year old son to please contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Related: Husband Of Mom Of Dead Denver Boy, 7, Also Arrested

Related: 7-Year-Old Found In Storage Unit Had Been Dead Since May: Cops

Image via Denver Police Dept.

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