A 10-year-old boy was found dead in a garbage can in Rock Island, Ill., last week in the garage of his mother’s home, and the mom now faces charges, according to multiple reports.
Police found Zion Staples’ body at a home after being in the trash for seven months,ABC 6 Newsreported. The outlet, citing authorities, reports that the child’s mother, Sushi Staples, 37, is being charged with concealment of a death, failure to report the death of a child under 13 and obstruction of justice.
The body was concealed in a garbage bin inside a garage, theQuad City Timesreports.
Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson conducted the autopsy in Rockford, Ill., and said the preliminary results indicate that the boy’s death is suspicious.
A neighbor said she wondered why the police took so long to locate the boy — and what clue led them to his discovery, according to ABC 6 News.
Sushi Staples in Illinois.
“I had a dead raccoon in my backyard, and we put it in a garbage can, I mean, in a garbage bag and then put it in a garbage can,” she said, per the outlet. “And I couldn’t even stand the smell waiting for garbage day. So I can’t imagine, that with the wind directions, that nobody would smell that.”
Rock Island County Jail
The source told the outlet that she had contacted the Department of Children and Family Services several times in the last few months because Staples was allegedly saying strange things about her son. She said Staples told her on Jan. 3 that Christmas would never be the same again. Her call to DCFS on July 25 prompted a welfare check, which ultimately resulted in police finding Zion’s body.
Andre and Danielle Builta — neighbors who moved in last month — also spoke to the outlet, noting that it seemed as if a happy family lived at the house.
“We saw that, we saw two girls. You know, coming sometimes, like out in the yard," Danielle said. “I saw them drawing with chalk in the back driveway.”
“Playing with scooters out in front of the garage, everything seemed really normal,” Andre added.
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Andrew added that “knowing what was in the garage” about 30 feet from their new house, it’s “worrying” and “kind of scary.”
Staples appeared in court last Friday and is being held on a $500,000 bond with a preliminary hearing set for August 15, per the outlet. It’s not clear if she has entered a plea, and PEOPLE was unable to contact an attorney for her.
The Rock Island Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Rock Island Police Department at 309-732-2677, Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500 or the P3 Tips app.
source: people.com
