The bones of a boy found behind a home on Cleveland’s west side have finally been identified.
On Wednesday, the medical examiner confirmed they belonged to 4-year old Eliazar Ruiz.
A contractor working on a home along Longmead Avenue discovered them in a bag next to a garage last Fall. The home had been vacant following a fire.
Until now, the case was beyond a mystery. Police said there were no reports of a missing boy and they had no DNA match, as they pleaded with the public for help.
They finally got the one they needed earlier this month from the victim’s mother, Ashley Makuhan, who was serving time in jail on drug charges.
Late last week, investigators informed her family that the bones belonged to Ruiz.
Relatives say the boy had been left with Makuhan’s friend when she left for jail. That friend may have also since been arrested and released. No one has heard from her.
In the meantime, police are not naming suspects, while it remains unclear how the boy died, why he ended up on Longmead, and why so much time passed without his disappearance being reported.
"This investigation remains in the early stages and no arrests have been made," said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams.
Investigators believe he died in late spring or early summer.
Records reveal Makuhan had a history of drug charges and lost custody of 2 older children in 2012 due to neglect.
A spokesperson for Cuyahoga County said they would not have known she had another child since that time when she reported for jail.
Authorities also released the following investigation timeline:
Sept. 20, 2017: The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office and Cleveland Police Department responded to 12902 Longmead Avenue, where remains were found in a plastic bag in the backyard of an unoccupied home. Cleveland Police Detectives Kathleen Carlin and Tim Entenok begin to investigate the case and potential leads.
Sept. 21, 2017: An autopsy is conducted, and a DNA profile is developed by the Parentage & Identification Department at the Medical Examiner’s Office. The autopsy reveals the remains belong to a child.
Sept. 25, 2017: Dr. Linda Spurlock, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Kent State University, examines the skeletal remains to obtain demographic information for a forensic sketch.
Oct. 10, 2017: DNA profile of the decedent determined the decedent’s sex is male, which will be used for comparison with potential matches.
Dec. 6, 2017: The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office and Cleveland Police Department hold a joint press conference with the local media, asking the public for their assistance in identifying the decedent. A forensic sketch is released to the media and estimates the child is approximately 4 years old. Race could not be determined at that time. Cause and manner of death are still pending, but the case is being investigated as suspicious.
Dec. 6, 2017: Local media outlets and community partners help distribute the sketch to the public through news stories, social media posts and billboards.
Jan. 8, 2018: Additional news stories are produced and aired, providing increased visibility for the sketch.
Jan. 9, 2018: A tipster contacts investigators after seeing sketch in the media.
Jan. 19, 2018: Through collaborative investigative efforts between the Medical Examiner’s Office and Cleveland Police Department, a tentative ID was obtained. Furthermore, a positive identification was made through DNA comparison to match: Eliazar Ruiz. Hispanic Male. Age 4.