Three women are being held on $1.1 million bonds each after being charged with murder and child endangering in the death of William Evans, a 7-year-old boy found dead in a closet on Madison Road in Oakley.

Kaitlin Evans, the boy's mother; Kirby Rankin, 33; and Nessa Keaney, 23, were arraigned Aug. 7, in Hamilton County court, according to Local 12. All three shared the home in the 2800 block of Madison Road in what a detective described as a co-parenting arrangement.

William was found dead Aug. 6, after officers from the Cincinnati and Norwood Police Departments responded to the home at approximately 1 p.m. According to the assistant prosecutor's statements in court, he was found bound with duct tape inside a closet. Police said William was developmentally disabled.

A detective from the Cincinnati Police Homicide Unit testified that William had injuries consistent with physical beatings, blunt force trauma from a striking device on his face, torso, back and extremities, as well as signs of burning and water torture. He told the court investigators believe the boy was choked and held underwater for extended periods.

"In my 21 years of law enforcement experience, this was probably one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse I've witnessed in my career," the detective told the court.

He testified the abuse had been ongoing for more than two months.

Rankin admitted her own involvement in what the detective called a "prolonged child abuse incident" and implicated Evans and Keaney as active participants, according to WCPO. Keaney's attorney argued in court that his client had attempted to treat William after he was injured by someone else in the home.

The prosecutor countered that the day before William's death, all three women took their dog to a veterinarian to be vaccinated, leaving the 7-year-old home alone.

Sgt. Andria Smith of the Cincinnati Police Homicide Unit confirmed the arrests. An official cause of death has not been released pending autopsy results. The detective said investigators anticipate additional charges based on the autopsy and additional witness interviews.

William's other biological parent spoke briefly at the arraignment, saying William had been kept from them "over lies."

A competency hearing for Rankin has been scheduled for early September. No other court dates have been announced.