Photo: GoFundMe
A Minnesota mom is behind bars after authorities allege she killed her 6-year-old son and drove around with his body stuffed in the trunk of her car.
On Friday, the Orono Police Department conducted a traffic stop in Mound, Minn., after officers witnessed a woman “driving on one rim and a shattered-out windshield,” Chief Correy Farniok told reporters.
According to Hennepin County Jail records, Thaler is currently in custody and has formally been charged with murder. Police said another unidentified individual was also arrested.
In addition to the vehicle, investigators are processing multiple crime scenes, including an apartment and a local gas station.
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“Eli was the sweetest kid. Very kind. Anyone who knew Eli just fell in love with him,” Josie Josephson, the fiancée of Eli’s father, explained to the station. “He was always happy, full of energy, full of questions, very inquisitive. He loved to play with Matchbox cars. Recently, he learned how to fish.”
The boy was previously in custody of social services, after Dakota County filed a Child in Need of Protection or Service petition on his behalf in January 2021. Josephson said Eli spent 457 days between county custody and family foster care.
“During that time, we worked closely with Dakota County. They allowed us to be involved in Eli’s (life). He was allowed visits with us, unsupervised visits,” she said.
According to aGoFundMe campaignorganized to help cover Eli’s funeral costs, he spent 11 months living with extended family members, but in December 2021, a judge allowed Eli to return to his mother’s care for a home trial.
“Due to many red flags Eli’s mother was showing, Tory tried extremely hard to get custody of Eli,” the fundraiser description alleged. “Numerous parties made many statements to CPS, fearing that mom would harm Eli if full custody were returned. Sadly, full custody was returned on May 10, 2022.”
A judge set Thaler’s bail at $2 million. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear if she had retained an attorney or entered a plea.
source: people.com
