The parents of a child whose remains were found in a freezer at the couple’s house have been arrested, though they’ve both subsequently been released on bond.
Kassceen Weaver, 49, and Dina D. Weaver, 48, were taken into custody in June and charged with conspiracy to conceal a body and failing to render aid to a child. Police investigators found the body of Eliel Adon Weaver in a freezer in May. Police say the little boy was under the age of five at the time of his death.
Police say that they are continuing to investigate and that the medical examiner is still working to determine a cause of death.
“On Tuesday, May 4, police received information that the remains of a child may be located at a residence on Lookout Point Circle,” a Chesterfield Police press release said. “An investigation began, and a search warrant for the residence was obtained. In a freezer at the house, detectives located human remains, which were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.”
In addition to charges connected to the boy’s death, the father has also been charged with both domestic assault and with maliciously wounding a female, Chesterfield police said. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, court documents indicate that the domestic assault charge is related to Dina, who “was manipulated by her husband and suffered years of abuse.”
Dina Weaver’s brother reportedly helped unravel the case.
“According to a criminal complaint filed in Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, a brother of Dina Weaver called police on May 4 ‘about concerns he has with his sister in a domestic violence situation,’” the Times-Dispatch reported.
Court documents show that during an interview at Rite Aid, where Dina worked, she said that Kassceen would tie her up with an electrical cord and burn her with a curling iron.
According to the newspaper, the brother further told police that Dina talked to him about her “deceased son.” He relayed a May 3rd conversation to the authorities where Dina had said the boy had died some two years ago.
“She said her husband ‘had wrapped up his body and placed it in a freezer in the garage; the remains were still to be [found] on the scene,’” the Times-Dispatch reported, quoting court documents.
Dina also reportedly told her brother that police were not called in connection with the boy’s death because he had bruises on his body.
Chseterfield Police Major Michael Louth told Law&Crime that further investigative work is required because the boy’s remains had allegedly been in the freezer for more than two years. Investigators are “still in the fact-finding phase” of the investigation, Lough said; the medical examiner’s office called in specialists, including forensic anthropologists, to determine the best way to prepare the remains for an autopsy.
Although Louth was unable to give an estimated timeline for the investigation, he said he hoped it would be done within a few weeks.
The police press release said that both Kassceen and Dina were released on bond. Court records show that Kassceen was released on June 14; Dina Weaver’s records were not available as of the time of publication.
“According to court papers, Kassceen Weaver has lived in the community for 30 years, has no prior criminal record and is self-employed in the construction industry,” the Times-Dispatch report said.
Richmond, Va. ABC affiliate WRIC-TV reported that another child who lived in the Weaver home is now in foster care.
The Weavers are scheduled to appear in Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on August 5.
[image via the Chesterfield, Va. County Police Department]
