Cops found a 7-year-old boy encased in concrete. Now his mom faces charges, police say

Two days before Christmas, Denver police found the body of 7-year-old Caden McWilliams encased in concrete inside a storage unit, The Denver Post reported.

On Monday, prosecutors charged his mother, Elisha Pankey, 43, with child abuse resulting in death and abuse of a corpse in the case, KDVR reported. She had turned herself in last week.

Caden may have been missing since May, when he missed the last week of the school year, KMGH reported. He was not reported missing at the time.

His body was found a day after Aurora, Colorado, authorities arrested Pankey in a hotel there on suspicion of drug possession and investigators asked Denver police for help, according to the station.

The coroner’s office has not yet determined Caden’s cause of death, The Denver Post reported.

“This is a terrible tragedy for the community,” said District Attorney Beth McCann, KDVR reported. “While this case will take time to resolve, it will take even longer for our community to learn and heal.”