Murdered about November 2, 2018
Reported Missing on November 24, 2018
Relatives reported Jamia Ellis and her six month old infant Jabari missing on November 24, 2018. Later, police located her with her boyfriend Ryan Wheeler at their residence located on the 100 block of Cemetery Road. Baby Jabari was still missing.
With the assistance of Jabari’s family and police investigations, Jabari’s little body was found deceased. Jamia allegedly wrapped him in a sheet, put him in a trash bag and buried him in the woods near their residence in Greene County.
The coroner reported that six month old Jabari was murdered by blunt force trauma and found in a shallow grave just east of Carrollton, Illinois. It is reported that the baby was actually murdered on or about November 2, 2018 and it would take twenty-two days for the mother Jamia to be located, and later find Jabari.
Jamia Ellis, twenty-two at the of her allegedly murdering her six month old infant was charged with two counts of First Degree Murder and one count Concealment of a body and is sitting in jail on a $1.5 million dollar bond. She faces twenty to sixty years for killing her infant newborn (not including the other charges)
Case# 2018CF187 for Ellis is set for yet another pre-trial date of February 7, 2020. No plea has been entered. Jury Trial has been pushed back. Originally set for April 13, 2020 it is now changed to July 13, 2020.
Her boyfriend at the time Ryan Wheeler was charged one count of Concealing a homicide and sits on a $750,000 bail. He’s apparently been given drug treatment after he was charged and is facing a maximum of a five year sentence (yah, that’s all they give you for hiding an infant’s body).
Case# 2018CF188 for Wheeler is not updated on judici and his last court date was May 13, 2020 at the Green County Courthouse at 11:00 A.M.
I went out there in the mindset of doing a Facebook Live video to draw attention to the criminal case, to remind people that a little boy was allegedly murdered by his own mother. I drove out there with the intention of creating awareness for the case was days away from court. I got out of the car and met with my team on Cemetery Road when my team asked me where he was found. I looked over and saw this memorial on the ground, simply put, in the middle of nowhere, of a road where it was so quiet, the silence was deafening. Just like the news out there. I am still so angry that there is nothing about this case and updates.
Why? Who are we protecting? I don’t want to hear that we are protecting the child that was murdered. His name should be said allowed, not silenced. He’s been murdered, so legally, his name does not need protecting. He should have been protected the first six months of his life. I believe we are past that now. Bring to light the truth and nothing but the truth.
Two people are charged with relation to his death. They are breathing and behind bars which is more than I can say for baby Jabari.
His death was silenced for 22 days before there was even a sign that he was in trouble. No report of him missing went public until the day it was reported he was found murdered. I believe in the system. I believe in news reporting. That didn’t happen here, but it still can.