In December 2018, the body of 7-year-old Caden McWilliams was discovered encased in concrete inside a storage unit in Denver, Colorado.
Authorities revealed that Caden had endured months of horrific ab*use at the hands of his own parents, Elisha and Leland Pankey. The couple had kept the young boy confined in a dog kennel, deprived him of food and water, and subjected him to severe beatings.
Caden’s emaciated body showed signs of severe malnutrition, with a coroner’s report indicating he had methamphetamine in his system.
The Disturbing Timeline of Ab*use
The timeline of Caden’s ab*use is truly hea*rtbreaking. Sometime in July 2018, Elisha Pankey found her son dead inside the dog kennel. Rather than seeking help or reporting the tragedy, the couple made the horrific decision to conceal Caden’s body. They wrapped the kennel in industrial-strength trash bags, sealed it with duct tape, and entombed it in concrete before hiding it in a Denver storage unit.
Caden’s grandmother, Martha McWilliams, had tried to check on the family and ensure Caden’s wellbeing, but Elisha and Leland had cut off contact with the extended family. Tragically, Caden’s suffering went unnoticed until his body was finally discovered months later.
According to previously released court documents, Elisha Pankey confided to a fellow inmate that she and Leland had left the boy confined in a carrier overnight, despite the child’s cries of being thirsty and hot.
Elisha Pankey stated that the boy was found deceased the next morning, and she believed he had suffocated.
The Sentencing of the Pankeys
In the aftermath of this devastating case, both Elisha and Leland Pankey were arrested and charged.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a mur*der charge as part of a plea deal, largely because authorities were unable to determine the exact cause of the boy’s d*eath. Elisha Pankey, the wife of the accused, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of child abu*se resulting in d*eath under a plea agreement that required her to cooperate with prosecutors.
Prosecutors stated that the plea deal helped to avoid a trial that would have presented disturbing evidence and re-traumatized Caden’s family members.
The autopsy revealed that the boy was severely malnourished, weighing only 27 pounds at the time of his de*ath. The autopsy also found evidence of injuries to his head, torso, and limbs. Some of these injuries showed signs of healing, but the authorities were ultimately unable to determine the precise cause of the boy’s d*eath.
During the sentencing hearing, Pankey maintained a stoic, emotionless demeanor as the court presented a slideshow of photographs depicting the deceased child, Caden.
Elisha Pankey pleaded guilty to felony child ab*use resulting in d*eath and was sentenced to the maximum of 32 years in prison. Her husband, Leland Pankey, received an even harsher sentence of 72 years for child ab*use resulting in de*ath and tampering with a de*ceased human body.
During the sentencing hearings, the judge and prosecutors made it clear that the Pankeys’ actions were “intentional, deliberate, calculated, callous, self-serving and depraved of any sense of humanity or human kindness.” The extended family also expressed their deep guilt and anguish over not being able to save Caden from his parents’ cruelty.
