A mother has been arrested on suspicion of murder after police found the body of her six-year-old son in her car boot.
Julissa Thaler, 28, was detained after a traffic stop in Orono, Minnesota, where police noticed blood in the vehicle and searched it. They then found Eli Hart lifeless in the boot.
Officers had stopped the car after receiving a 911 call at 7am on Friday about a vehicle driving suspiciously with a smashed back window.
Thaler, who has not been charged, had recently been granted full custody of Eli, with court documents showing that the boy’s father Tory Hart had also wanted custody,reported.
Westonka Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Borg wrote in an email to families on on Saturday: ‘It is horrifying and difficult to process a tragedy of this magnitude, especially in our close-knit community.
‘My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are grieving this profound loss.’
Eli was a student at Shirley Hills Primary School kindergarten in Mound.
Josie Josephson, the partner of Eli’s father, said: ‘I guess we’re just doing the best we can.
‘Tory and I are grieving in our separate ways. He’s still trying to absorb this.
‘To him, it’s really hard to believe that this is real. That he’ll never see Eli again.
‘Eli was the sweetest kid. Anyone who knew Eli just fell in love with him. He was always happy.’
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