10-Year-Old Boy, Dead in Mom’s Garage for 7 Months, Was SHOT: Coroner

A 10-year-old boy found dead in a garbage can last month at his mother’s house died from a gunshot wound.

Rock Island County coroner Brian Gustafson released the information on Friday in a preliminary autopsy report for Zion Staples, according to WQAD.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Rock Island police found the boy dead in his mother’s garage on July 26. Investigators said at the time it appeared he had been dead for months and likely died in December. Gustafson said the death was “suspicious and not natural.”

Zion’s mother, Sushi M. Staples, was arrested and charged with concealment of a death, obstruction of justice, and failure to report the death of a child. Staples, 37, is being held on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for August 15.

It’s not clear if she will face additional charges after the coroner’s revelation.

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[Featured image: Sushi Staples/Rock Island County Jail]