Source: Aurora Police Department / Aurora Police Department
Alexus Tanielle Nelson, the mother of a 5-year-old missing girl from Aurora, was arrested and charged June 1 after detectives discovered the remains of a child at her apartment.
According to a press release, Nelson, 27, was initially taken into custody on May 30 and charged with attempting to influence a public servant after she reportedly lied to police about putting her young daughter Maha Li Hobbs up for adoption. When authorities asked if she had proof of the adoption process, Nelson could not provide any evidence.
“Investigators could not verify the adoption through state records prompting Nelson’s initial arrest,” the press release noted.
According to Law & Crime, Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters during a press conference that they received a tip from Hobbs’ grandmother, who feared for the well-being of her granddaughter after she received some “concerning” messages from Nelson via text.
On May 31, Aurora police obtained a search warrant and investigated Nelson’s apartment located on the 1000 block of South Elkhart Way, where they discovered the remains in a closet.
Acevedo said that the remains of the child victim looked like they had been in the closet for a while.“We found remains that we believe to be that of a young child. Unfortunately, due to the condition of those remains, a positive identification could not be made.”
Investigators are still awaiting scientific confirmation and positive identification by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office to confirm whether the remains are linked to Hobbs. But Aurora investigators strongly believe that they have found “the little angel,” Acevedo said. On Thursday, Nelson was charged with child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence. The police chief added that he was confident a murder charge would follow.
“I would venture to say that there’s a high probability that murder charges will end up being filed in this case at some point in the near future. There’s a high probability of that.”
He also applauded Hobbs’ grandmother for making the difficult decision to notify police of the child’s endangerment.
“Our hearts go out to the family. Think about this grandma. She’s just lost a grandchild, and now she loses a daughter as well,” Acevedo added. “But grandma did the right thing, and for that, I am grateful.”
Nelson’s arrest and charges come just days after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued an alert for the troubled mother and her missing 5-year-old daughter.
Nelson is being held on a $100,000 bond and is due back in court on June 6.
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