MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Prince McCree, 5, was discovered by authorities in a dumpster, "blood-soaked, bound, and gagged in the fetal position" on October 26. He had been missing from his multifamily home since the previous day.
Erik Mendoza, 15, and David Pietura, 27, who lived in the same house, have been arrested for allegedly beating and stabbing the child to death, and falsely claiming to police that they were unaware of where Prince was, reported the Daily Mail.
A GoFundMe page has been created by Prince's aunt to help his family with the funeral, and which has already collected over $22,000.
When was Prince McCree last seen alive?
According to court documents, Prince's mother last saw him on the morning of October 25, when she allowed him to miss school on account of being unwell.
The child wanted to play video games in the basement of the house with Pietura, which he frequently did.
When the mother later went to check on him, she found the basement dark and empty.
Why were Erik Mendoza and David Pietura arrested?
Investigators found blood in the basement which Pietura tried to explain off as Mendoza's nose bleeding on account of fighting with him earlier.
When more blood was seen, and detectives noticed "a large amount of blood" on Pietura’s right leg, he was arrested for obstruction.
He later admitted that Mendoza had "talked for some time about wanting to kill someone" and that the teenager "'never liked" Prince. Pietura also confessed to witnessing Mendoza choking Prince in the bedroom until he was motionless.
Court documents state that Pietura never intervened to stop Mendoza, and after the child was motionless, suggested that they "clean up." The two of them bound Prince's hands and feet with black tape and stuffed his mouth with rags.
When Mendoza noticed the child regaining consciousness, he allegedly said, "We need to shut him up." To that effect, they punched and stomped him, as well as dropped a 30-pound barbell on his head.
Believing Prince to be dead, they put him in garbage bags, and when he made noise, took turns to bash him with a golf club, before dumping his body.
Prince McCree's father broke down at juvenile court hearing
Mendoza appeared at a juvenile court hearing on October 31, where Prince’s father tearfully told him, "You did this to my baby. Erik, you broke us."
The accused teenager and adult were charged with first-degree intentional homicide, repeated physical child abuse causing death, and hiding a corpse.
They are being held on $500,000 cash bonds, and are not allowed to contact each other or the victim's family.
