Missing Lafayette child found dead in bucket; father named person of interest
DISCLAIMER: This story contains descriptions of domestic violence and the death of a child. News 8 has chosen not to name the woman involved in the domestic incident.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — A 3-month-old child reported missing Saturday was found dead in a bucket at his home the day after his father attacked his mother with a tire iron.
Police confirmed to News 8 Monday that the boy’s father is a person of interest in the 3-month-old’s death.
The Indiana Silver Alert for 3-month-old Jacob Moneus was issued Saturday evening after he’d been reported missing around noon. He was found dead early Sunday morning.
Court documents obtained by News 8 reveal that Jacob’s father, Eliasard, had been arrested the day prior for battery against his wife, Jacob’s mother.
On Saturday, the boy’s mother called 911 to report she’d been battered by her husband and was taking herself to the hospital.
Lafayette Police Department officers met with the woman at the hospital, who said Eliasard got upset with her on Aug. 5 and they hadn’t talked since.
On Saturday, she’d been sitting in her bedroom watching TV with Jacob when Eliasard entered the room, took Jacob, then left the apartment with him. Thirty minutes later, Eliasard came back, went to the bedroom, and began striking her with a “tire iron or wrench multiple times.”
Eliasard left the home after the attack. The mom was unable to locate Jacob afterward. She then took herself to the hospital for treatment of a skull fracture and lacerations on her face.
Court documents say officers searched their apartment and found blood spatter. They could not locate the 3-month-old during the first search.
Indianapolis police was later located at an apartment complex in Lawrence. They arrested him for his role in the domestic incident, but during his questioning, police say Eliasard denied knowing where Jacob was.
At some point, officers speaking with Eliasard said “they just needed to know if (Jacob) was okay,” to which Eliasard confirmed the child was fine but didn’t elaborate further.
Eliasard later admitted to hitting his wife with a tire iron, saying he “hoped (she) was going to die from her injuries.” He also said the child was at the apartment during the attack, but denied leaving the apartment with him or knowing where he was.
During a second search of the Moneus’ home early Sunday morning, police found the child’s body in a lidded bucket by the kitchen trash can.
Eliasard was arrested on preliminary charges of attempted murder, domestic battery with a deadly weapon, domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, and domestic battery in the presence of a child. He was being held in the Tippecanoe County jail without bond.
More information will be released after the child’s autopsy on Monday.
Help is available for victims of domestic violence. Below is a list of suggested resources on the Domestic Violence Network website:
- Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385
- Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
- The Julian Center
- Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
