Man accused of killing baby in Aurora in 2010
A Burlington man is facing charges of first-degree murder after authorities accused him of killing a baby nearly 16 years ago in Aurora.
Spiros Elias, 44, of the 100 block of East Plank Road, appeared in Kane County court Friday morning for a detention hearing.
He is accused of killing 11-month-old Michael Ortiz of Aurora on Dec. 17, 2010.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser told Judge Bianca Camargo during Friday’s hearing that Elias was living in a home on the 100 block of Cross Street with Michael’s mother and her two other children. Two other adults, including Elias’ mother, also lived in the home. They were not home at the time, Mosser said.
Michael’s mother left the baby with Elias while she went to work. About 90 minutes later, Elias called 911 to report Michael was turning purple and not breathing, Mosser said.
According to Mosser, Elias told authorities that Michael had been fussy, that he gave him a sippy cup of milk, laid the baby on a pillow, and the baby choked on the milk.
Emergency workers revived Michael, but he was declared brain dead a day later at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Mosser said.
Mosser said a forensic pathologist determined Michael sustained injuries due to violent shaking, strangulation and blunt-force trauma. The DuPage County coroner declared the death a homicide, but, according to a release Friday from the Aurora Police Department, “Despite a thorough investigation, the initial investigators were unable to determine who was responsible, and the case remained unresolved.”
In December 2024, an Aurora police cold-case investigator began looking into the case again, according to the release. Investigators, including one with expertise in child-abuse cases, reviewed reports, witness statements, medical records and other evidence collected during the original investigation.
The investigators also did more interviews, consulted with a pediatric radiologist and did more laboratory analysis.
That helped them narrow the time when the fatal injuries happened, according to the police news release, leading them to believe Elias was the person responsible.
A Kane County grand jury indicted him Aug. 18. He was arrested Aug. 21.
“A child’s life was taken, and Michael’s family has lived for more than 15 years without answers or accountability,” Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas said in the release. “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.”
At the detention hearing, Elias’ attorney, Brandon McNulty, disputed the prosecutors’ claim that Elias poses a danger to anyone or the community and argued he should be released pretrial. He noted the 16-year gap between the death and the charges.
According to Mosser, Elias was charged with murder in an unrelated case in 1999. She said the charge in that case was dropped, and Elias instead was convicted of aggravated discharge of a weapon and sentenced to six years in prison.
McNulty noted Elias has not been charged, until now, with any violent offenses since being released from prison on the 1999 case.
Camargo ordered that Elias be detained at the Kane County jail to await trial. His next court date is Oct. 15.
ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com