“HE WAS FUSSY SO I GAVE HIM MILK IN A SIPPY CUP AND HE STOPPED BREATHING”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PROSECUTORS SAY SPIROS ELIAS STRANGLED, SHOOK AND STRUCK HIS GIRLFRIEND’S 11-MONTH-OLD BABY TO DEATH DURING A 90-MINUTE WINDOW ALONE WITH THE INFANT… AND NEARLY 16 YEARS LATER HE IS CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER.
On December 17, 2010, a mother left her Aurora, Illinois, home to head to work.
She left her 11-month-old son, Michael Ortiz, behind in the care of her live-in boyfriend, Spiros Elias.
Other adults who lived at the Aurora residence were away at the time.
Prosecutors say Michael was left alone with Elias for roughly 90 minutes.
About 90 minutes after the mother departed, Elias called 911.
Elias allegedly told authorities that the baby had been fussy.
He allegedly claimed that he gave Michael some milk in a sippy cup.
He then placed the infant on a pillow, according to his account.
Elias allegedly stated that he later discovered Michael turning purple.
He claimed the 11-month-old was no longer breathing.
Elias allegedly blamed milk for the baby becoming unresponsive.
Emergency workers responded to the scene and managed to revive Michael.
Doctors declared the infant brain-dead the following day.
A forensic pathologist subsequently examined the child to establish what had happened.
The pathologist determined that Michael had been violently shaken.
The examination also revealed that the 11-month-old had been strangled.
The pathologist found the child had suffered fatal blunt-force trauma.
The DuPage County Coroner’s Office ruled the baby’s death a homicide caused by child abuse.
The original investigation documented the fatal injuries inflicted on Michael.
Yet authorities at the time could not determine who had caused them.
The case remained unresolved for years.
Then, in December 2024, Aurora police reopened the case.
Investigators initiated a full review of the evidence and medical records.
Detectives reinterviewed people connected to the case.
Aurora police also consulted an independent pediatric radiologist.
The new medical analysis helped investigators narrow down the window of time when Michael suffered the fatal trauma.
Police say that established timeframe pointed to Elias.
On August 18, a grand jury indicted Elias on two counts of first-degree murder.
Elias is now 44 years old.
Aurora police and the U.S. Marshals arrested him three days after the indictment.
A judge ordered Elias held inside the Kane County Jail while awaiting trial.
His next court appearance is scheduled for October 15.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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