DENVER — The father of a boy whose body was found encased in concrete in a Denver storage unit in December 2018 faces up to 72 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Thursday to child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a deceased human body according to the Denver District Attorney's Office.
Leland Pankey had been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Caden McWilliams. In exchange for the plea, that charge was dropped.
He faces 16 to 72 years when sentenced on Feb. 28.
“This agreement provides justice for Caden while ensuring that Mr. Pankey will serve a significant amount of time behind bars," said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. “This is one of the most horrific cases ever handled by the Denver DA’s Office and we were acutely concerned about re-traumatizing Caden’s family as well as the jury, judge and everyone else involved should this case proceed to trial.”
Caden's body was discovered Dec. 23, 2018 in a storage unit in the 5000 block of East Evans Avenue. That same month, Leland Pankey was arrested after Elisha Pankey accused him of assaulting her. That allegation started the chain of events that led to the discovery of their son’s body.
According to the arrest affidavit in the case, officers who spoke to Elisha Pankey became concerned when they couldn’t find McWilliams and went to his daycare. An employee there subsequently said the child was “lost” and that his sister claimed her brother had “died.”
Elisha Pankey claimed she hadn’t seen either of her children since Nov. 27, when she claimed her husband had taken them away from her. According to the affidavit, Elisha Pankey had asked victim’s care advocates to pick up some medications from her nightstand, and that’s when they found heroin inside.
According to the arrest affidavit for Leland Pankey, his wife told police that in May 2018, the family moved into a hotel and that she worked full-time. Leland Pankey was supposed to take care of the children, and according to the affidavit, Elisha Pankey said she knew her husband was abusing Caden and not feeding him.
The affidavit says on July 11, 2018 -- about three days before Caden's death -- Elisha Pankey saw Leland Pankey holding their son against a wall and later taking him into the bathroom, where she could hear a "ruckus."
The affidavit says Leland Pankey told his wife they "can't save both children" and they could take Caden to the mountains to bury him.
An ensuing investigation revealed the boy had been unenrolled from Denver Public Schools (DPS) in August 2018 and was last seen in class on May 24 that year. He was 7 years old at the time.
A Feb. 28, 2019 autopsy indicated McWilliams died by undetermined means, but that child maltreatment played a role. According to the affidavit, an ensuing investigation revealed the boy had multiple broken bones at the time of his death and was possibly malnourished, according to the affidavit.
Elisha Pankey on Aug. 1, 2019 pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death.
She faces 16-32 years in prison with five years of mandatory parole following her release. Her sentence was deferred until she successfully cooperated with the prosecution in Leland Pankey's case.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS