Share this @internewscast.com

AURORA, Colo. — A $2 million bond has been set for an Aurora woman on three new charges in connection with the charred human remains found in one of her apartment closets in late May.

Alexis Tanielle Nelson initially faced charges of attempting to influence a public servant on May 30 after Nelson’s mother called police to request a welfare check on her 5-year-old grandaughter Maha Li Hobbs, who was reported missing, according to an arrest affidavit in the case.

Police said Nelson told them she had given the child up for adoption and she did not want the grandmother to know where the child was. However, police could not connect Nelson or Maha to the agency that she claimed to have used for the adoption.

Local News

Affidavit: Aurora police found charred remains as they searched for missing girl

1:02 PM, Jun 05, 2023

Investigators searched through her phone and could not find any emails to an adoption agency. She also did not have any photos of the missing child, the affidavit read.

No Colorado courts — or the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services — had any record on file of an adoption involving Maha.

The child was reported missing on May 30 from the Aurora area and was said to likely be with Nelson, who is her primary caretaker.

While talking with Aurora police officers on May 30, Nelson agreed to a search of her apartment. They found an empty child’s room with a dirty carpet, according to the arrest affidavit.

With a search warrant, officers looked through Nelson’s cell phone further and found two Google searches in her history — one for “Can you overdose from melatonin?” and “Can you overdose from Xanax?”

That’s when Nelson was arrested for attempting to influence a public servant. Nelson’s bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety during her court appearance June 1.

Meanwhile, the Aurora Police Department’s investigation into the missing girl continued.

On May 31, detectives obtained a search warrant for Nelson’s apartment in hopes of gathering evidence that would lead to the missing child, with help from detectives on APD’s Crimes Against Children Unit.

Shortly after they entered the apartment, a detective opened a utility closet on the patio of the apartment and recognized the odor as decomposing flesh, according to the affidavit. The closet was filled with children’s items and a plastic bag inside a large shopping bag.

In the wake of May 31’s discovery, new charges were added against Nelson on June 1, including child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a dead human body and tampering with physical evidence, police said.

During a press conference on June 1, APD Interim Chief Art Acevedo said Nelson will likely face a murder charge in the near future as well, adding that the department is “highly confident” the remains belong to Nelson’s daughter, 5-year-old Maha.

Nelson will appear in court next on August 28 for a preliminary hearing.


D7 follow up bar 2460x400FINAL.png

What do you want Denver7 to follow up on? Is there a story, topic or issue you want us to revisit? Let us know with the contact form below.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Menendez Brothers' Resentencing Delayed Again

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Erik and Lyle Menendez’s bid for shorter sentences…

Judge blocks layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the…

Murder victim texted suspect’s name before she died: Police

Background: News footage from the scene of the July 2024 triple murder…

Broomfield man sentenced to life in prison for killing wife after posing as her ex-boyfriend and stalking her

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A Broomfield man convicted of killing his wife after…

10 Guards Charged Over Fatal Beating Of New York Inmate, Including 2 With Murder

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — Ten New York prison guards were charged Wednesday…

What Life Is Like Inside El Salvador's Largest Prison

Alex Peña/Getty Images The…

Man who shot girlfriend over paternity of child learns fate

News footage of Vaughn Smith during his sentencing hearing on April 18…

Bus Rider Nearly Decapitated by Hatchet-Wielding Stranger Has Died

A man died on Thursday, nearly two weeks after he was reportedly…

'Unheard of violence': Woman kidnapped before tragic discovery

Police are continuing to hunt for five men who kidnapped a woman…

Louisiana High School Teacher, Coach Charged With ‘Indecent Behavior’ With Juveniles

A Louisiana high school teacher was arrested late Thursday and charged with…

Contract killer gets decades for 4 Philadelphia murders

Share copy link Steven M. Williams (Pennsylvania Attorney General). In Pennsylvania, a…

Ohio Megachurch Pastors’ Son Charged With Raping Children

The adult son of the founders and pastors of an Ohio megachurch…