Burlington man charged with murder of 11-month-old Michael Ortiz, 15 years after 2010 death

Spiros Elias, 44, arrested for the 2010 death of infant Michael Ortiz in Aurora, Illinois. Cold case reopened in December 2024 led to the first-degree murder charge.

Aurora cold case: man arrested 15 years after infant's death ruled homicide

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that a 44-year-old man from Burlington, Illinois, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 2010 death of an 11-month-old boy, more than fifteen years after the case went unresolved.

Spiros Elias was arrested last Friday and charged in the death of Michael Ortiz, who was found unconscious and not breathing on 17 December 2010 in the 100-block of Cross Street in Aurora. The boy was taken to hospital but died the following day.

The DuPage County Coroner's Office ruled Michael's death a homicide, determining that his injuries were caused by child abuse. Despite what Aurora police described as a thorough initial investigation, investigators at the time were unable to identify a suspect and the case remained open.

In December 2024, an Aurora police cold case investigator reopened the file. Through renewed investigative work, police concluded that Elias — who was the live-in boyfriend of Ortiz's mother at the time — was allegedly responsible for the boy's death.

Elias appeared at a pretrial detention hearing on Friday, where a judge ordered him held in the Kane County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for 15 October.

Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas addressed the family directly in a statement. "A child's life was taken, and Michael's family has lived for more than 15 years without answers or accountability," Thomas said. "While this arrest cannot undo their loss or erase the pain caused by the passage of time, we hope it brings them one step closer to justice. Cold cases are never forgotten, and we will continue pursuing justice no matter how much time has passed."

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)