6-Year-Old Boy Found Dead Inside Car Trunk In Minnesota Identified
Family and friends identified 6-year-old Eli Hart as the boy found Dead Inside the trunk of a car in Mound, Minnesota on Friday. His mother was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Earlier Saturday, Westonka Public Schools confirmed that the victim was a kindergarten student at Shirley Hills Primary School in Mound. Crisis teams and counselors will be available to students, staff and parents at district buildings beginning Monday.
“It is horrifying and difficult to process a tragedy of this magnitude, especially in our close-knit community. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are grieving this profound loss,” Superintendent Kevin Borg wrote in a letter to families.
Hart’s body was found in the trunk of a car around 7 a.m. Friday, after Orono police were alerted to someone driving a silver car on a tire rim with the back window smashed.
Officers conducted the traffic stop at Shoreline Drive and Bartlett Boulevard and found blood inside the car while speaking to the female driver. The boy’s body was found in the trunk moments later.
Court records reveal that Eli’s father, Tory Hart, had been fighting for custody against Hart’s mother, Julissa Thaler. In January 2021, Dakota County filed a child protection services (CPS) order and gave legal and physical custody of Eli Hart to Dakota County Social Services.
Tory Hart filed to establish full custody on March 11, 2022, and on March 30 a judge ruled to maintain Dakota County Social Services’ custody of the boy. The case was then given an inactive status while the Dakota County CPS case was being resolved.
Documents from Dakota County court detail concerns social workers had about Thaler’s mental health, criminal history and living situation.
On May 10, Thaler, was granted full custody, according to WCCO.
The case was then reopened on May 12 and Eli Hart’s parents were due to appear for an initial case management conference on June 21.
Hennepin Co Jail Roster show Hart’s biological mother, Thaler, was booked early Saturday morning on pending murder charges.
Orono Police have not confirmed ID’s of the two people arrested for the crime.
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