The boy was at his grandparents house when his uncle allegedly asked him to come downstairs with him.
A Colorado man accused of murdering his 4-year-old nephew allegedly lured the little boy into his parents' basement and attacked the child with an ax, officials said.
Charlotte and Joseph Doll had reportedly picked up their grandson and brought him back to their Broomfield home so his mother, their daughter, could go to nursing school about 8:30 a.m. on April 27.
The child had only been at his grandparents’ home for half an hour when his uncle, 25-year-old Emanuel Doll, interrupted his playing with an iPad and allegedly asked him to come down to the basement, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Broomfield Enterprise.
Charlotte Doll told police she heard loud noises that resembled a “pillowcase loaded with items hitting the floor,” and she yelled to ask what the noise was, but her son said it was “nothing,” the Enterprise wrote.
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A few minutes later, Emanuel Doll, whose twin sister is the boy’s mother, came upstairs and went outside.
The grandparents found the little boy’s body a few minutes later. The basement floor had blood everywhere and an ax lay near the child’s body, WREG-TV reported.
Cops who found Emanuel Doll in the backyard said he had blood on his clothes, according to reports.
He was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of murder in the first degree, as authorities allege the crime was deliberate and committed with intent.
Police have been to the Doll residence 14 times since March 2016 for calls including welfare checks on an adult, reports of harassment and or threat, assisting a citizen and medical calls, the Enterprise reported. It was not immediately clear who the calls specifically involved.
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The child’s brutal murder left loved ones and the community stunned.
“Our dear friend is such an amazing mom, friend and person. Her son was her world; he motivated her to pursue a career in nursing,” wrote a friend of the victim’s mother on a GoFundMe page created to offset the cost of a funeral.
“She was on track to graduate this upcoming fall, with just 2 quarters remaining," the friend continued. "Her dreams came to a halt now because she lost a sweet, fun-loving, four-year-old without warning. It’s hard to all wrap out heads around this.”
As of Friday, almost $12,000 had been raised to lay the little boy to rest.
Emanuel Doll is being held without bail. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on July 14.
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