Man Charged 16 Years After Death Of 11-Month-Old Baby: Aurora Police

AURORA, IL — Sixteen years after an 11-month-old child died, a Burlington, Illinois, man was charged in connection with his murder, Aurora police said Friday.

Just two weeks before Christmas 2010, Aurora police and firefighters were called to the 100 block of Cross Street for a report of a boy who was unconscious and not breathing. The child, Michael Ortiz, was brought to an Aurora hospital before he was transferred to another medical facility, where he died Dec. 18, 2010.

At the time, Spiros Elias, now 44, was the live-in boyfriend of the child's mother.

The DuPage County Coroner's Office classified Ortiz's death as a homicide after the autopsy determined his fatal injuries stemmed from child abuse, police said.

In December 2024, the Aurora Police Department's dedicated cold case investigator initiated a comprehensive review of the case, reexamining original reports and evidence in addition to reinterviewing people, officials said.

As part of the case, investigators consulted an independent pediatric radiologist and got additional laboratory analysis that helped them to more precisely establish when Ortiz's fatal injuries occurred. Comparing the refined timeframe with initial findings and statements collected throughout the investigation, police identified Elias as the person they believed to be responsible for the baby's death, according to a news release.

A grand jury indicted Elias on Aug. 18 on two counts of first-degree murder, one for intending to cause death or great bodily harm and the other for knowing his actions created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm.

"A child's life was taken, and Michael's family has lived for more than 15 years without answers or accountability," Chief Matt Thomas said in a statement. "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. I am proud of the dedication, persistence, and specialized investigative work that brought this case to this point."