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Three-month-old Jacob Moneus probably died before Lafayette police even got the chance to issue a Silver Alert for him on Saturday afternoon.
The news of the infant's death left many neighbors in shock early Sunday morning at Acorn Apartments on Lexington Court.
Those living in the same building as the family said that they had never noticed any signs of trouble coming from the couple’s second-floor apartment.
There had been no sounds of arguments or fights, according to their accounts.
However, the apartment was sealed off Sunday morning, and Jacob’s father, Elisard Moneus, a 28-year-old resident of the same block, was taken into custody.
He faces suspicion of battering his wife but has not yet been charged with the baby’s death.
The police only issued the Silver Alert after Jacob’s mother, severely injured and bloodied, managed to drive herself to the hospital for treatment on Saturday afternoon.
Sgt. Shawn Verma from the Lafayette police department explained that following this, officers went to the apartment to investigate the assault and search for the baby.
“When officers first entered the apartment to check things out, the baby was not immediately visible,” Verma noted.
Despite their initial search, the infant was present in the apartment the entire time.
It wasn’t until about 5:30 a.m. Sunday that the baby’s body was discovered.
Verma explained that the baby was found in a hidden spot.
It was such an unusual place that officers wouldn’t have thought to look there.
“I’m not sure what made the officer think to look there,” Verma said. “But when the officer opened that particular spot, the deceased baby was discovered.”
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| Baby Jacob Moneus |
Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello arrived at the scene around 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
While the police had identified the baby as Jacob Moneus, Costello has yet to officially confirm the child’s identity.
She stated that the name would be released once it is positively confirmed.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday, and Costello is treating the case as a homicide.
Jacob’s father, Elisard Moneus, who was seen by a neighbor leaving his home in a hurry on Saturday, was later arrested in Indianapolis.
Lafayette police, working in coordination with their Indianapolis counterparts, arrested him there.
Moneus hasn’t said anything about the attack on his wife.
She reported that he used a rod, similar to a tire iron, to beat her badly.
Detectives plan to question Moneus further on Sunday about Jacob’s death.
He is currently in jail without bond and faces serious charges for assaulting his wife.
These charges include attempted murder, domestic battery causing serious injury, domestic battery with a deadly weapon, and domestic battery in front of a child.
The investigation into the battery and the circumstances surrounding Jacob’s death is ongoing.
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