LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The father of a Lafayette 3-month-old found dead early Sunday morning has been charged with murder.
Eliasard Moneus, 28, has been formally charged with one count of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated battery, one count of criminal confinement and two counts of domestic battery, according to online court records.
The Tippecanoe County coroner ruled that Jacob Moneus died of asphyxia.
The Lafayette Police Department said Jacob Moneus was found by officers after an "extensive search effort."
Baby Jacob was reported missing on Saturday, Aug. 10, and a Silver Alert was issued.
"The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Jacob's death is ongoing, and the Lafayette Police Department's Detective Division is actively working the case," Lafayette Police said in a previous news release.
According to a spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department, Moneus and his wife, later identified as baby Jacob's father and mother, allegedly got into a domestic dispute at their apartment.
Court documents say the wife told officers that she had been married to Moneus for approximately 11 months, and they had a 3-month-old child together.
According to court documents, the wife said Moneus got upset with her on Monday, Aug. 5, and the two hadn't spoken to each other since that evening.
The wife allegedly told officers she was sitting at home in a chair in her bedroom watching a church service with baby Jacob when Moneus entered the room, took baby Jacob, and she heard the front door close.
According to court documents, the wife said Moneus returned home approximately 30 minutes later, came into the bedroom and hit her multiple times with a "metallic blunt object," which she described as a tire iron or wrench.
The wife told officers that Moneus then left their home, and she did not know where baby Jacob was since Moneus allegedly left the home with him before the battery.
Court documents say the wife then drove herself to Indiana University Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, where she was treated for her injuries, including a skull fracture.
Officers then responded to the hospital, but they discovered baby Jacob was not with her at the hospital. When police went back to the apartment at Acorn Acres, near State Road 38 and South Creasy Lane, they reportedly could not find baby Jacob.
The Lafayette Police Department said it issued a Silver Alert rather than an Amber Alert because they were unsure if it was a family abduction.
The Lafayette Police Department said it shared the information with IMPD, who were able to find Moneus at an apartment complex in Lawrence, but not baby Jacob. He was subsequently arrested by Lafayette police.
After going back to do a second search of the apartment early Sunday morning, police said baby Jacob's body was found "very well hidden where a normal person wouldn't think to look." Court documents say detectives found baby Jacob dead in a bucket with the lid attached and next to the trash can in the kitchen.
"This is a devastating development, and our thoughts are with Jacob's family during this incredibly difficult time," police said. "The Lafayette Police Department is committed to conducting a thorough investigation to determine the events that led to this tragedy."