Authorities apprehended the mother of a missing five-year-old child following the alleged discovery of the girl’s remains inside her apartment in Aurora, Colorado.
On Thursday June 1, Alexus Tanielle Nelson, 27, found herself facing more than her initial charge of trying to manipulate a public official. The Aurora Police Department announced that she is now also accused of child abuse resulting in death, along with tampering with a dead body and meddling with evidence. The additional charges come after the grim discovery of a child’s remains in Nelson’s home closet on May 31st.
Police intervention in the case began when Nelson’s mother raised an alarm, stating that she had heard disturbing remarks from her daughter, leading her to fear for her grandchild’s well-being. When officers arrived, Nelson said that she had put her daughter up for adoption, but she could not provide corroborating documentation and her claim could not be validated via state databases, resulting in her arrest.
While official identification from the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office is pending, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has identified Maha Li Hobbs as the missing girl. During a press briefing on Thursday, Police Chief Art Acevedo of Aurora expressed his confidence in the identification of the victim, and suggested murder charges are forthcoming.
Nelson is currently held on a bond of $100,000.
