Three members of a Cincinnati trans group have been indicted for the murder of a 7-year-old boy who had his bones shattered and was subjected to burns and water torture. Williams Evans-Ellis was found bound up with tape.
William Evans-Ellis was found dead, bound with duct tape inside a closet in the home of the trans group in Cincinnati’s Oakley neighborhood on Aug. 6.
A Hamilton County grand jury returned a 13-count indictment on Aug. 13 against Kaitlin Elizabeth Evans, 38, the child’s biological mother, “Kirby” Rankin, 33, and “Nessa” Keaney, 23.
Evans identifies as trans nonbinary. Rankin is a biological male who identifies as a woman. His prior identity was Nathan David Rankin. Keaney is a biological male whose birth name is Adamhnán Keaney.
The indictment charges each defendant with one count of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, one count of kidnapping, one count of felonious assault, four counts of endangering children, one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
According to the indictment, from about July 1 through Aug. 6, the defendants exchanged text and audio messages through the Signal messaging app discussing plans to kidnap and murder William.
An investigator told the court at the suspects’ arraignment that the special-needs child’s body showed signs of water torture and burns.
William Evans-Ellis was 7 years old.
Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco determined the death was caused by blunt-force trauma to the head. She said William suffered a shattered upper arm, bruises “too numerous to count” of varying ages, additional head injuries, and was found bound in a manner that prevented movement.
She said investigators believe the boy had been dead for about a day before he was discovered.
Dr. Sammarco said the fracture to the child’s arm required “a fair amount of force” and that the bones had been separated. Authorities are still awaiting toxicology, DNA testing, and additional laboratory results, including testing related to possible water torture, burns and other injuries.
“I opened the closet door and just froze for a while,” Dr. Sammarco said at the Aug. 11 press conference.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said at a press conference Thursday that the aggravated murder charge carries the possibility of life without parole, though authorities have not ruled out pursuing the death penalty.
“The defendants lived together and acted as co-parents of the victim,” Pillich said. “Instead they committed atrocious acts causing this child to suffer terribly. And as for all of these monstrous crimes that were committed, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure these people never again see the light of day and never again have the opportunity to harm another child.”
In exclusive reporting previously revealed by this journalist, the trans group, which also included the boy’s biological father, was involved in pagan and occult practices.
Thomas John “Tara Jane” Ellis, the father who identifies as trans, made social media posts suggesting the group was influencing the young boy to become trans. (Ellis is not accused of any crimes.)
Posts by members of the group also show they worshipped the Norse pagan deity Loki and viewed him as a trans deity.
Evans claimed to have “encountered” Loki on social media, becoming changed in the process. Rankin posted a photo from inside the home showing a prayer to the deity displayed.
The period during which William was suspected to have been tortured, starting in July and extending into August, corresponds to the Lokabrenna holiday period, which honors Loki.
The members were also intensely political. Ellis was involved in Antifa and mutual aid activism on social media. The trio maintained accounts on Mastodon and Bluesky, social media platforms popular with leftists.
Rankin shared content from radical trans activist Anthony “Erin” Reed on Bluesky. He also reposted content from Trantifa activist Alexander “Alejandra” Caraballo and Antifa activist Talia Jane Ben-Ora. Rankin has a tattoo on his left arm reading, “This machine kills fascists,” a slogan popular among Antifa supporters.
This journalist contacted Rankin’s aunt and her husband in Kentucky, where Rankin grew up. It was the first time they had heard that their nephew had been arrested. They declined to provide further comment.
In March 2025, Ellis shared a GoFundMe for Rankin, stating that his “girlfriend’s father killed himself.”
The defendants are expected to be arraigned on the indictment on Aug. 14 before Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins.
“This is a horrific, monstrous, unfathomable act,” Pillich said. “I think we will remember it for a very, very long time.”
Andy Ngo is the author of the forthcoming investigative true-crime book, The Zizians: Inside a Trans Death Cult.
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