Landon Weaver, on right
EDGAR CO., Ill.—Two Paris residents are in lockup tonight after being arrested on suspicion of the murder of a child.
The situation developed about a week ago (November 5), when a two-year-old, Landon Jason Eugene Hall Weaver, was taken by helicopter from that Edgar County town to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Paris Police, investigating the child’s injuries–which were classified as ‘severe’–called upon Illinois State Police Zone 5 Investigations, and the matter came to be under a multi-agency investigation.
On Monday (November 10), the little boy died of his injuries…and the situation turned into a homicide investigation.
Selena Hall, Coles County mugshot
Yesterday morning, Landon’s mother Selena Hall, 21, and Hall’s boyfriend James ‘Zach’ Watson, 32, both of Paris, were arrested by Zone 5 investigations and jailed at Coles County Detention facility in Charleston. ISP says both are facing a charge of murder in connection with Landon’s death, but Edgar County (represented by Mark Isaf) hasn’t issued any formal charges yet, and it’s unknown when this will be followed through on.
James ‘Zach’ Watson, Coles County mugshot
But officials with Marion County (Indiana) Coroner’s office had even more information about the situation: They have determined that the child’s body showed evidence of prior abuse, and that the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma; it’s being considered “homicidal violence” and those findings were what brought about the arrests of the mother and boyfriend.
Watson is an Edgar County felon, with crimes ranging from dope to firearms violations; however, he doesn’t have any apparent violence in his criminal history. Hall has no notable criminal record in Edgar. It just appears that another abused child may have fallen through the cracks…something that occurs all too frequently in our part of the universe.
When formal charges are filed, we’ll bring it to you…in the meantime, the family of Landon Weaver has set up a gofundme page, which you can find at this link.