Aurora mother of missing 5-year-old charged after child remains found in her apartment

The mother of the 5-year-old reported missing from Aurora was arrested and charged Thursday after detectives found human remains of a child in her apartment.

Alexus Tanielle Nelson, 27, was arrested Tuesday on one charge of attempting to influence a public servant, according to an Aurora Police Department news release.

She’s being held on $100,000 bond, appeared in court Thursday morning to be advised of the charges against her and is due back June 6, according to court records. 

Thursday, charges of child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence were added after detectives found the human remains of a child in a closet in Nelson’s apartment. 

The body appeared to have been in that condition for a while, Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo confirmed. 

The charges come two days after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation released an alert for Nelson and her missing 5-year-old daughter, Maha Li Hobbs. 

Police did not confirm that the child remains found in Nelson’s apartment belonged to Hobbs. Due to the condition of the remains, positive identification could not be made, Acevedo said in a press conference Thursday.

“Anytime that you hear these cases involving little children, I know it impacts our investigators. I know it impacts our community,” Acevedo said. “I responded to the scene last night and I can tell you it was tough to see our cops that had to find that little angel in the condition they found her in.”

Police are “highly confident” the positive identification will reveal that the remains belong to Hobbs, Acevedo said. 

Investigators are waiting for scientific confirmation and positive identification by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

Nelson’s arrest and initial charge came from a call to APD dispatchers from an out-of-state person who reported that Nelson, the caller’s daughter, made concerning statements to them by text. They expressed concerns about the safety of their granddaughter, according to the release.

Officers responded to Nelson’s apartment in the 1000 block of South Elkhart Way, where they spoke with Nelson. She told police she gave her daughter up for adoption but could not provide records to prove it. 

Investigators could not verify the adoption through state records and arrested Nelson for attempting to influence a public servant. 

Nelson had full custody of Hobbs, Acevedo said, and Hobbs’ father lives out of state. 

“I would venture to say that there’s a high probability that murder charges will end up being filed in this case in the near future,” Acevedo said. 

Community members need to look out for each other and keep an eye on their neighbors, Acevedo said. Anyone who thinks a child they know is being abused or neglected shouldn’t hesitate to come forward. 

The investigation is active and anyone with information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 .

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