Dad drowned 3-month-old son in bucket of detergent, IN cops say. He’s sentenced
A man attacked his wife with a tire iron and took their 3-month-old son and placed him face-down in a sealed bucket of laundry detergent, drowning him, Indiana police and news outlets reported.
The father, 29-year-old Eliasard Moneus, was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, criminal confinement and two counts of domestic battery in August, according to court records and WKRC.
He pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder on July 1 and was sentenced to a total of 92 years in prison, court records and WXIN said. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, court records said.
Moneus’ attorney could not be reached for comment.
“Jacob drowned in the bucket swallowing 100 ml of detergent while he died,” Tippecanoe County deputy prosecutor Elyse Madigan told the judge during the sentencing hearing, according to the Journal & Courier.
His wife, who suffered a skull fracture, took herself to the hospital on Aug. 10 and reported that she did not know where her child was, Law & Crime reported, citing a probable cause statement. The father also told police, according to the outlet, that he did not know where his son was.
A Silver Alert for Jacob Moneus was issued Aug. 10 after the child went missing in Lafayette, Indiana State Police said. It was believed that the child was in “extreme danger” and needed medical attention, the alert said. The alert was canceled the following day when the deceased child was found in a “devastating development,” according to a news release by Lafayette police.
Investigators located the infant in a sealed bucket of detergent in the blood-spattered Lafayette residence, according to Law & Crime.
“You killed your own child,” Judge Steve Meyer said in court, according to the Journal & Courier. “I can’t think of a worse crime. This is one of the most grotesque murders I have ever had to see.”
Lafayette is about a 65-mile drive northwest of Indianapolis.
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Dad drowned 3-month-old son in bucket of detergent, IN cops say. He’s sentenced."
