Dad arrested after his 3-month-old son is found dead in a sealed bucket in their family home

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 – A three-month-old baby was tragically found dead in a sealed bucket at home, leading to the arrest of the boy's father.

The grim discovery was made after Lafayette Police Department officers responded to a hospital call regarding a woman who had allegedly been a victim of domestic violence.

The woman claimed her husband, 28-year-old Eliasard Moneus, had assaulted her with a tyre iron or possibly a wrench before fleeing with their son, Jacob Moneus.

The police then searched the family home but found no trace of baby Jacob.

Eliasard Moneus was later apprehended by police in Indianapolis early on Sunday morning, August 11, and taken in for questioning.

When asked about his son's whereabouts, Moneus initially claimed ignorance before assuring investigators that the boy was safe, according to an affidavit.

However, a second search of the house led to the horrifying discovery of the child inside an orange bucket with a snap-seal lid.

The preliminary cause of death has been identified as asphyxia, with homicide being the manner of death, according to the Tippecanoe County Coroner.