A mother has been detained on suspicion of murder after police discovered her six-year-old son’s body in the boot of her car.
Julissa Thaler, 28, was arrested during a traffic check in Orono, Minnesota, when officers discovered blood in the vehicle and inspected it. They then discovered Eli Hart dead in the boot.
Officers pulled over the vehicle after getting a 911 report about a vehicle driving strangely with a damaged back window around 7 a.m. on Friday.
According to reports, Thaler, who has not been charged, was lately given full custody of Eli, despite the fact that the boy’s dad Tory Hart, had also requested custody.
‘It is heartbreaking and difficult to absorb a loss of this nature, particularly in our close-knit community,’ Westonka Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Borg said in an email to families on Saturday.
‘My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is mourning this tragic loss.’ Eli was a kindergarten student at Shirley Hills Primary School in Mound.
Westonka Schools confirms the boy found dead in the trunk of a car on Friday was a kindergarten student at Shirley Hills Primary School. pic.twitter.com/xU3F6FcjaE
— Mary McGuire (@mcguirereports) May 21, 2022
Eli’s father’s companion, Josie Josephson, expressed that she thinks they’re just doing the best they can. Tory and she are both mourning in their own ways. He’s still trying to take it all in.
It’s difficult for him to realize this is true that he won’t see Eli again. Eli was the loveliest little boy. Everyone who met Eli fell in love with him. He was usually cheerful.
May the little angel’s soul rest in peace.