A 29-year-old Indiana man has been sentenced to 92 years in prison for the 2024 killing of his 3-month-old son Jacob, whom authorities say he drowned in a bucket of laundry detergent.
Eliasard Moneus was sentenced Tuesday by a Tippecanoe County judge after pleading guilty to murder in the death of his infant son, Jacob, according to WTHR. The plea agreement resulted in the dismissal of additional charges, including aggravated battery, criminal confinement, and domestic battery.
According to court documents, the incident began on Aug. 5, 2024, following an argument between Moneus and his wife. The couple had reportedly not spoken since that evening. The mother told police she was sitting in a bedroom chair watching a church service with baby Jacob when Moneus entered the room, took the baby, and left the apartment.
Roughly 30 minutes later, Moneus returned and allegedly assaulted his wife, striking her multiple times with an object described in court filings as either a tire iron or wrench. She later drove herself to a hospital, where she was treated for multiple injuries, including a skull fracture. Hospital staff alerted authorities when it became clear the infant was not with her.
Police began a search for Jacob, initially unable to locate him during a sweep of the apartment. A Silver Alert was issued on Aug. 10, citing the infant’s disappearance and “extreme danger” to his health, according to a release from the Lafayette Police Department.
The following day, in what police called a “devastating development,” the Silver Alert was canceled after investigators discovered Jacob’s body hidden inside the apartment.
According to WISH-TV, detectives found the child’s remains concealed in a sealed bucket containing laundry detergent, placed next to a trash can in the kitchen. Authorities said the location was “very well hidden where a normal person wouldn’t think to look.”
“This was an absolutely horrific and heartbreaking case,” Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington said following sentencing. “The deliberate concealment of this child and the violence inflicted on the family are beyond comprehension.”
Moneus did not speak during sentencing. His defense attorneys did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
The case has drawn significant attention in the Lafayette community, where residents and advocates have held vigils for Jacob and called for greater awareness of domestic violence and child abuse.
