A three-month-old baby was tragically found dead in a sealed bucket at home, leading to the arrest of the infant’s father.
The grim discovery followed a call to the Lafayette Police Department about a woman who had reportedly been a victim of domestic violence.
The woman alleged that her husband, 28-year-old Eliasard Moneus, had assaulted her with a tire iron or possibly a wrench before fleeing with their son, Jacob Moneus.
When officers searched the family home, they initially found no sign of baby Jacob. Moneus was later apprehended by police in Indianapolis early on Sunday morning, August 11, and brought in for questioning.
Initially, Moneus claimed he did not know where his son was, though he assured investigators that the boy was safe, according to an affidavit.
However, a subsequent search of the house led to the horrifying discovery of the child inside an orange bucket with a snap-seal lid.
The preliminary cause of death has been determined to be asphyxia, with the manner of death ruled a homicide by the Tippecanoe County Coroner.
