ELAINA STEINFURTH - 18 months - Toledo, OH

Steven King tells Toledo Police where to find Elaina Steinfurth remains

Posted: 2 hrs, 42 mins ago



EAST TOLEDO, OH -- A quick list of some of the people involved in the case include Julie King, the mother of Steven King. Steven King is the ex-boyfriend of Angela Stenifurth, Elaina's mother.

Julie owns the house where baby Elaina was last seen, and where Steven lives, and where Angela was temporarily staying along with her two children.

Police removed "immature human remains" from the garage located behind the house on 704 Federal Street. The family of Steven King tell WNWO that police found the remains because Steven told them exactly where to look.

Witnesses say they recovered a box covered in a tarp, in that box, the remains of a young child, presumably Elaina's.

"We wanted to find the body. We wanted to find that baby, which we did," says Toledo Police Chief Derrick Diggs during a press conference Friday morning.

The house on Federal Street was searched by authorities at least four times, but only the house.

WNWO got an exclusive look inside the bedroom where Elaina was last seen, which was left a complete mess by authorities.

"We've conducted a couple search warrants at the house. Specifically, the garage, no. Obviously our investigation led us there yesterday," TPD Detective Wes Bombrys said at the press conference.

The family members of Steven King tell WNWO that Steven told police that the box containing the remains of Elaina was located in a small loft in the rafters of the garage.

"It was located near the far corner of that garage under quite a bit of other boxes, trash and things of that nature," said another officer at the press conference.

The garage had been searched at least twice before, but police said it was too dangerous to send cadaver dogs inside.

Volunteer group, Justice for Nevea, told police that their own cadaver dog got a hit on the garage, but that lead was never followed. And somehow, the body went undiscovered.

"We searched the garage to the best of our ability at that time. The location is very tough to search," said an officer at the presser after reporters questioned why the police had not found the body that was feet away from where they were looking.

Video taken the day after Elaina went missing, shows the side door to the garage clearly open, indicating someone had gone inside.

"We're not going to get into how many times we checked here, how many times we checked that," says Chief Diggs.

Julie King tells us there is a old car in the garage, and the roof is now dented in due to searchers standing on it, attempting to look up into the rafters. However, no one saw the box that contained the missing girl, until, after three months, Steven King told police exactly where to look.

Steven's family said they got word Wednesday from Steven's attorney, that he was going to be giving police new information in the case.

After a brief court appearance Thursday morning, Steven spent quite some time at police headquarters. He had apparently been working on a plea deal before giving out any of the information of the whereabouts of Elaina.

http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=943499#.UiqKon_cOCw

Hard to believe they even went into the garage.  There had to be a horrible odor from the decomposition of that poor baby.

Baby Elaina case: What we know so far

By Stephen Loiaconi
updated 2:02 PM EDT, Mon September 09, 2013

NEED TO KNOW

• Remains found in garage belonging to ex-boyfriend of Elaina's mom
  
• Toledo police chief briefs reporters on missing baby case
  

Timeline: How the baby Elaina case unfolded


Was missing baby Elaina’s diaper found?

Baby Elaina’s father breaks his silence Monday night on Nancy Grace at 8 p.m. ET on HLN.

Police discovered “immature human skeletal remains” Thursday in a garage at the Toledo home where missing toddler Elaina Steinfurth was reportedly last seen.
At a press conference Friday morning, Toledo Police Chief Derrick Diggs said an autopsy is being conducted to determine whether the remains are those of the 18-month-old who was reported missing on June 2.

“We have found what we believe may be baby Elaina,” Diggs said.

Diggs said work will continue through the weekend to identify the remains.
Police executed a search warrant Thursday at the home of Steven King, the ex-boyfriend of Elaina's mother, Angela Steinfurth.

Police Capt. Wes Bombrys said Friday that the remains were found in a box on a shelf in the rafters in the detached garage.

Police said the garage was searched previously and they would not speculate on how long the remains had been there. Bombrys said specific information led them to return to the garage Thursday.
Read more: Police search river for baby Elaina
Diggs said the investigation is still ongoing and active. He denied that police “dropped the ball” by not discovering the remains sooner.

“We had a lot of deception taking place being told to us by a variety of sources in this community,” Diggs said.

Bombrys stated that police had searched the garage to the best of their ability earlier in the investigation, but it was a very difficult location to search.

Lucas County Coroner Thomas Patrick confirmed to HLN Thursday that a box that “appears to contain human remains” was recovered from the address on Federal Street. Patrick said it was unknown whose remains they are and a complete examination would be performed Friday.

Elaina’s father T.J. Steinfurth said he was “irate” about Thursday’s discovery, WNWO reported, but he did not comment on what police told him about it.

Elaina’s mother Angela Steinfurth claimed the girl disappeared from King’s house on Federal Street on June 2 after she put her down for a nap, according to a police report obtained by HLN.

In the weeks that followed, authorities conducted extensive searches of the surrounding area and the Maumee River, but Elaina was not found.

Angela Steinfurth was indicted on a charge of obstruction of justice in late June. The indictment alleged that she communicated “false information” about a crime. Steven King was indicted on the same charge in August.

King appeared in court for a pretrial hearing on his obstruction charge Thursday morning. His trial is scheduled for September 16.

Angela Steinfurth was in court Wednesday, but her pretrial hearing was continued until September 25. Her attorney had requested additional time to review evidence in the case.

King and Steinfurth have both pleaded not guilty. No other charges have been filed in connection with Elaina’s disappearance.

Prosecutor Julia Bates said Friday it would be “silly and foolish” to speculate at this point on if or when additional charges may be filed in the case..


www.hlntv.com/article/.../boyfriend-arrested-elaina-steinfurth-steven-kin...‎

DNA confirms remains found inside computer box are those of missing toddler Elaina who went missing three months ago at her mother's boyfriend's house

Human remains found in a box in the rafters of a garage are those of a toddler last seen about three months ago inside a house on the same property, police said Tuesday.

DNA tests confirmed the skeletal remains are of 19-month-old Elaina Steinfurth, said Toledo police Sgt Joe Heffernan.

Investigators found the remains last Thursday inside a box behind other containers and piles of trash in the detached garage's rafters.


Identified: The remains of 18-month-old Elaina Steinfurth were found last week inside a computer box at the house of her mother's boyfriend's family, police announced today


Gruesome discovery: Officers searching the garage of Steven King II's family found Elaina's remains stuffed in a computer box in the rafters

The home where the girl was last known to be alive belongs to the family of a man who had been dating the girl's mother.

Both the mother, Angela Steinfurth, and her now-estranged boyfriend, Steven King II, are in jail and accused of obstructing justice.

Prosecutors will decide whether to file any additional charges, Heffernan said.

'They're not going anywhere, anytime soon,' he said.


Arrested: Elaina's mother, Angela Steinfurth (left), and her then-boyfriend, Steven King II (right), have been charged with obstruction of justice in the toddler's disappearance


Charges to come? Elaina's mother and her boyfriend haven't been charged with anything new following the identification of the toddler's body

Steinfurth and her two daughters stayed with King at his family's home on June 1, investigators said.

The girl's father went to the residence to pick up his two daughters the next day, but only Elaina's 4-year-old sister could be found.

Investigators have said Steinfurth knew Elaina had been seriously injured and didn't seek medical help.

They would not say what type of injuries the toddler had or who caused them.


Helpless: Police believe Miss Steinfurth knew Elaina (pictured) had been injured and didn't seek medical attention


Theories: Several rumors have circulated as to where Elaina was. A psychic claimed she was buried in a field in Jerusalem Township

Steinfurth has been in jail since mid-June. Her attorney has declined to comment.

King was charged in July with lying to investigators about the child's disappearance.

He told reporters after his arrest that he is innocent.

Authorities, including the FBI, and volunteers had searched homes, parks, vacant buildings and the Maumee River near downtown Toledo for any sign of Elaina.

Officers also searched both the home and the garage in the days after she disappeared.

They went to back to the home Thursday and removed the box with the remains, just hours after King appeared in court at a hearing where his trial date was scheduled.

Investigators would not say what led them to return to the garage.

From the beginning, the investigation into Elaina's disappearance has been rife with rumors and speculations.

Police have chased down numerous leads, including tips from two psychics who claimed that the girl's body was in a Jerusalem Township field crying, 'Mommy.'

In another twist, a woman who claimed to be Angela Steinfurth's cellmate claimed that the 25-year-old mother told her in confidence that King had wrapped Elaina's body in a blanket and tossed it into the river.

Officers searched both the home at at 704 Federal Street and the garage in the days after Elaina disappeared, but did not get to the rafters.

During a press conference Friday, police explained that they did not bring in cadaver dogs to search the property because it was overflowing with junk, according to First Coast News.

They went to back to the home just after 3.15pm Thursday armed with a search warrant and removed the box with the remains, just hours after Mr King appeared in court at a hearing where his trial date was scheduled.

Tensions were high on Federal Street, where neighbors and friends have been holding vigils since Elaina's disappearance. Police had to be called in to break up a fight that was sparked by speculations over the contents of the box removed from the garage.  

Several women were heard yelling at each other, 'An eye for an eye,' The Toledo Blade reported.


Estranged dad: TJ Steinfurth, pictured here with Elaina, arrived at the house of Angela's boyfriend June 2 to pick up the toddler and her sister, but the girl was nowhere to be found


Jailhouse rumors: A woman claiming to be Miss Steinfurth's cellmate claimed that the 25-year-old had confided in her that her boyfriend threw Elaina's body into a river

Angela Steinfurth's stepfather, Richard Schiewe, said the box was not in the garage the day after the little girl was reported missing.

He said he went into the garage with police when they searched the building.

'That body was not in the rafters,’ he said Friday. ‘Somebody went and got that body and put it in there.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2416892/Elaina-Steinfurths-remains-confirmed-DNA-inside-box.html?ico=ushome^editors_choice_six_of_the_best

Well at least the father can put the little angel to rest.  These two can't get out of it now so some justice will prevail.  William

What a precious little girl.   She doesn't look like a happy baby.

What kind of evil monsters could murder such a precious baby?  Evil POSs, both of them.

Baby Elaina to be laid to rest Saturday
Posted: Sep 24, 2013 4:44 PM CDT  By Nick Bade
TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) -
An east Toledo 1-year-old who went missing and was later found dead will be laid to rest this weekend.
Elaina Steinfurth's father called police on the afternoon of June 2, when he says the girl's mother refused to give her to him. The little girl was listed as a missing person for months as police, firefighters and average Toledoans took to the streets to look for her.

A box containing the little girl's remains was found in the garage of her mom's ex-boyfriend on September 5. The girl's mother, Angela Steinfurth and her ex-boyfriend, Steven King, have both been charged with obstruction of justice in the case.

Visitation for Elaina will be held Friday, September 27 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Eggleston, Meinert and Pavley Funeral Home on Coy Road in Oregon. A funeral service will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the same location. Elaina will be buried at the Lake Township Cemetery in Millbury.

Memorial donations may be made to the "Bring Elaina Home" fund at any PNC Bank location.

Larry Schaffer at Eggleston, Meinert and Pavley Funeral Home says Elaina's remains can be buried with a provisional death certificate that lists the manner and cause of death as pending.   In Ohio, human remains can be buried with a pending cause and manner designation but they cannot be cremated or disposed of in a way that would prevent further testing.  

King is set to face trial on the charge beginning on October 7. Angela Steinfurth is due in court on Wednesday.

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/23519346/funeral-arraignments-set-for-baby-elania

Judge: Jailed Mom Can't Go To Ohio Girl's Funeral

Thursday September 26, 2013 5:51 AM
UPDATED: Thursday September 26, 2013 6:22 AM

TOLEDO, Ohio - An Ohio woman charged with obstruction won't be allowed to leave jail for the funeral of her toddler, who was missing for months before her remains were found in a garage.
    
A county judge in Toledo on Wednesday rejected Angela Steinfurth's request to visit a funeral home and privately pay her last respects. Steinfurth's attorney told The Blade newspaper she couldn't immediately comment on the ruling.
    
A visitation for 19-month-old Elaina Steinfurth is scheduled Friday at a funeral home in the city of Oregon. The funeral is Saturday.
    
The cause of her death hasn't been determined.
    
Angela Steinfurth and a man she had been dating are charged with obstructing official business in the girl's disappearance. The remains were found this month in a garage that belongs to the man's family.

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/09/26/AP-OH-Toddlerxs-Death.html

Baby Elaina laid to rest at funeral

by Eric Wildstein
Posted: 09.29.2013 at 12:48 AM

OREGON -- Family and friends paid their final respects at baby Elaina Steinfurth’s funeral on Saturday.

Elaina’s father, TJ Steinfurth, carried his daughter’s tiny casket out of the Eggleston, Meinert & Pavely Funeral Home in Oregon. It was an emotional release for many, who spent countless hours searching for the missing toddler, and holding weekly prayer vigils in their east Toledo neighborhood.

Almost a hundred vehicles and motorcycles followed Elaina’s funeral procession to the Lake Township Cemetary. Many shouted the enduring rally cry, “Justice for Elaina.”

TJ Steinfurth released a dove to commemorate Elaina’s ascension into heaven. Dozens of balloons were later set afloat, which those who gathered watched in silence until the wind took them out of sight.

Elaina’s family said its final goodbyes before she is buried, just steps away from her great grandfather, Robert Steinfurth.

http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=952616#.Ukw-4T-Wx6k

Steven King's trial pushed back to November

Posted: Oct 07, 2013 8:02 AM CST
Updated: Oct 07, 2013 4:10 PM CST




Steven King's attorney asked for a continuance, for further investigation. The trial is set for November 4th. The final pretrial is set for Oct. 29th.

He appeared in court Monday morning, as his trial was supposed to begin.

However, the judge pushed back the trial date. King is charged with obstruction in the case of Baby Elaina Steinfurth.

Elaina Steinfurth went missing on June 2nd. Her remains were found in a box inside a garage that belonged to the King family in September.

No one has been charged with her death. Autopsy results are pending.

http://www.13abc.com/story/23625074/steven-kings

Mother in baby Elaina case back in court for pretrial hearing

by Jiselle Mack
Posted: 10.23.2013 at 6:16 AM


TOLEDO -- Angela Steinfurth will make another court appearance Wednesday morning in the case of her daughter, baby Elaina, whose remains were found in an east Toledo garage in early September.

Steinfurth has been held behind bars on charges of obstruction of justice since her indictment in July. Her attorney has been asking for more time to review more than 30 hours of tape interviews with Toledo Police investigators.

WATCH: Surveillance video of Angela with Elaina on the day she was reported missing

Steinfurth and her ex-boyfriend, Steven King were the last people seen with baby Elaina when she was reported missing back in June.

Steven King’s court date has been pushed back until Nov. 4.

The toddler's skeletal remains were found in a detached garage at a home belonging to King’s family. WNWO spoke to King’s mother who said her son directed investigators to Elaina’s location.

READ: Steven King tells Toledo Police where to find Elaina Steinfurth remains 

Disagreements between Elaina’s maternal side and paternal side have continued to come up throughout the investigation --shouting matches between the families outside the courthouse in August, as well as allegations in late September of misused funds from Elaina’s public donations .

Angela's step-father, Richard Schiewe, has been attending previous pre-trial hearings and spoke to WNWO about missing baby Elaina.

"I can't forgive and I can't forget, but like I said, this is a two-sided story, not just one-sided, not just the Steinfurth's. I don't care if anybody gets mad about it, but it's my family just as much as it is their family," Schiewe said.

WATCH: Raw video Angela's step-father defends her innocence

Family and friends paid their final respects at baby Elaina’s funeral at the end of September.



http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=962044#.UmgI1hBtV6n

Angela Steinfurth in court

Posted: Oct 23, 2013 10:22 AM CST
Updated: Oct 23, 2013 4:26 PM CST
13abc.com Zachary Pitts

TOLEDO, Ohio - The mother of a Toledo toddler who was found dead this summer was in court Wednesday. Angela Steinfurth is accused of lying to police during the search for the girl.

Angela's daughter Elaina was reported missing back in June. Elaina's remains were discovered inside an east Toledo garage last month. Investigators believe Elaina was killed, but the question is who responsible for her death. Steinfurth and her ex-boyfriend, Steven King are both charged with obstruction of justice in the case for allegedly lying to police. No one has been charged in baby elaina's death. King will start his trial early next month. Family says they're frustrated the case has been drawn out so long, but say they're hopeful they'll get justice.

"I feel I don't know which one actually did what, but I feel they both know. In my eyes they're both just as guilty, if you know something and you don't say it, you're just as guilty as the party that did it in my eyes. I'm just hoping one of them starts talking, because Elaina doesn't deserve any of this.", says Terry Steinfurth, Elaina's Grandfather

Another pre trial for the case has been scheduled for November 20th.

http://www.13abc.com/story/23767928/steinfurth-in-court

Steven King's attorney asks for trial delay
Anticipates homicide charges in dead toddler case

BLADE STAFF
Published: 10/29/2013 - Updated: 12 hours ago

Saying he expected the case against Steven King II to be resolved once homicide charges are filed in the disappearance and death of an East Toledo toddler, an attorney asked Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Ruth Ann Franks today to postpone Mr. King’s trial.

Attorney Pete Rost said authorities still are awaiting the report of a forensic anthropologist hired to examine the remains of Elaina Steinfurth, who disappeared June 2 and whose badly decomposed remains were found in a box inside a garage at Mr. King’s Federal Street address.

Mr. King, 23, of 704 Federal St., and the child’s mother, Angela Steinfurth, 25, oof 329 Valleywood Dr., each are charged only with obstructing justice for allegedly lying to investigators, but additional charges are anticipated.

Judge Franks postponed Mr. King’s trial until Dec. 9.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2013/10/29/Suspect-s-attorney-asks-for-trial-delay-in-Steinfurth-case.html#dhAjJ8W4tze7JrPY.99

Attorneys: More charges may come against Steven King

Posted: Oct 29, 2013 8:34 AM CST
Updated: Oct 29, 2013 3:55 PM CST
By Ali Hoxie
Reporting by Nicole Collier

TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) -

A grand jury could soon decide whether or not to charge Steven King, the ex-boyfriend of east Toledo 1-year-old Elaina Steinfurth's mother, with homicide in the little girl's death.

Elaina went missing on June 2, 2013 and was found dead in the King family's garage on September 5. Both Steven King and the girl's mother, Angela Steinfurth, are being held on obstruction of justice charges in the case.

It's been five long months since Elaina's family has seen her alive and nobody knows who took her life.
"I don't know how I'm going to feel. I'm gonna be mad. I'm gonna be mad as hell," said Elaina's grandfather, Richard Schiewe.

In court Tuesday, King's attorney asked a judge to push back his client's trial date, as the defense is in talks with the prosecution about the possibility of homicide charges being filed against King. Defense attorneys and prosecutors are waiting to get their hands on a doctor's report, which could determine if King will be charged with homicide. The report is complete, but not available to either the prosecution or defense at this time.

Prosecutors say if the report indicates King should be charged with homicide, the charge will be taken to a grand jury.

"I got my phone right beside me. I'm waiting for a call, for somebody to call and say, you know, he's been indicted, you know, by a grand jury," said Schiewe. "You're just intense. You're on pins and needles."

King had been set to face trial on the obstruction charge on Nov. 4. That trial date was vacated Tuesday, and a new trial was scheduled to begin on Dec. 9.

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/23816063/prosecutors-waiting-on-doctors-report-to-file-homicide-charges-against-steven-king

Baby Elaina's death ruled a homicide after autopsy

Posted: Nov 06, 2013 1:42 PM CST
Updated: Nov 06, 2013 4:09 PM CST
By Lisa Stromme Warren

TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - The Lucas County Coroner's Office has ruled the death of 18-month-old Elaina Steinfurth a homicide.

The Coroner says Elaina suffered severe acute fractures to the joint areas of the arms and legs. The injuries are consistent with non-accidental trauma, according to the report.

The coroner says because of the absence of soft tissue and organs, no assessment of injury to those body parts could be made.

Elaina's father Terry Steinfurth Jr. reported her missing on June 2, 2013 when he says he came to pick her up from her mother and she was nowhere to be found. The young girl's

Elaina's mother, Angela Steinfurth, and her ex-boyfriend Steven King were later arrested and charged with obstruction of justice in the case.

King and Steinfurth remain in the Lucas County Jail, but neither has been charged with the homicide.

Family members say they hope someone will be charged for the child's death.

"There's nothing I can do to bring her back. And like I told everybody when we was over at them vigils. They sat there and sat there and that baby wasn't coming walking back down that street and say here I am," said Richard Schiewe, Angela's father.

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/23895834/breaking-baby-elainas-death-ruled-a-homicide-after-autopsy#.Unqc9Tp7MsQ.facebook

Baby Elaina's mother indicted for murder

By Richard Dool

updated 6:50 PM EST, Mon December 02, 2013

NEED TO KNOW

• 18-month-old Elaina Steinfurth was reported missing on June 2
  
• Her remains were found in a garage three months later
  

Baby Elaina case: Who's who

An Ohio grand jury indicted Angela Steinfurth Monday for murder in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, Elaina. Steinfurth's ex-boyfriend, Steven King, was also indicted on charges of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse, according to the grand jury report released Monday.

Elaina Steinfurth, widely known as “baby Elaina” since her disappearance, was reported missing from an East Toledo, Ohio, home -- a house owned by King's family -- on June 2. Angela Steinfurth initially said she last saw Elaina when she put the 18-month-old down for a nap that day.

A massive search of the surrounding neighborhood and a nearby river ensued, but for weeks there was no trace of the toddler. 

Police arrested Angela Steinfurth for child endangerment in June. But prosecutors decided to drop that charge, and Steinfurth was indicted for obstruction of justice later that month instead. In early August, King was also indicted for an obstruction of justice charge.

It was not until early September that authorities found Elaina Steinfurth's remains in a box hidden in the garage of the very house from which she disappeared. Toledo police said they had searched the garage earlier, but they were initially unable to bring cadaver dogs into the garage.

Calls made Monday by HLN to the attorneys for Angela Steinfurth and Steven King were not returned. Attempts to reach the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office were also unsuccessful.

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/12/02/baby-elaina-mom-angela-steinfurth-indicted-muder

Pair indicted in death of toddler Elaina Steinfurth

Published: 12/2/2013 - Updated: 10 hours ago
BLADE STAFF

he mother of a slain East Toledo toddler and her boyfriend both were indicted today for the death of the little girl who came to be known as Baby Elaina.

Angela Steinfurth, 25, of 329 Valleywood Dr., was indicted by a Lucas County grand jury for murder in the death of Elaina Steinfurth, who was 18 months old when she was last seen June 2.

Steven King II, 24, of 704 Federal St., was indicted on charges of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse in the child’s death.

The well-publicized missing persons case, which prompted a massive manhunt, became a homicide investigation Sept. 5 after Toledo police, acting on a tip, found the little girl’s badly decomposed remains in a box inside a detached garage at the Federal Street address where Mr. King lived.

Two months later, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office issued a ruling in Elaina’s death, concluding that the little girl died from “non-accidental trauma.” Her death was ruled a homicide.

Both Ms. Steinfurth and Mr. King previously were indicted for obstructing justice for allegedly lying to police investigating Elaina’s disappearance. Ms. Steinfurth has been held in the Lucas County jail since her arrest June 12, while Mr. King has been in jail since July 22.

Mr. King, who appeared briefly in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Monday, is to be in court again at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday before Judge Ruth Ann Franks. Ms. Steinfurth has a pretrial hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday before Judge Gary Cook.

Jeff Lingo, chief of the criminal division for the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office, declined to comment on the indictments.

https://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2013/12/02/Couple-indicted-in-death-of-toddler-Elaina-Steinfurth.html

King pleads guilty to murder in death of Elaina Steinfurth, eligible for parole after 25 years

Posted: Dec 03, 2013 10:41 AM CST
Updated: Dec 03, 2013 11:02 AM CST
Written by Nick Bade

Reporting by Nicole Collier

TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - An east Toledo man accused of killing his then girlfriend's 1-year-old daughter has taken a plea deal in the case.

King pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice charges in the case Tuesday. As part of the deal, King will be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years.

Family members, police and the community spent months searching for Elaina Steinfurth after she was reported missing on June 2, 2013. Police found her body in the garage of King's home on September 5.

An autopsy concluded Elaina suffered numerous broken bones as a result of "non-accidental trauma." The Lucas County Coroner ruled the girl's death a homicide on November 6.

Court documents filed Monday allege King purposely caused baby Elaina's death, and that he tried to destroy evidence of the crime.  

The girl's mother, Angela Steinfurth, has also been charged with murder in the case. Steinfurth is due in court at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Count on Toledo News Now for complete coverage of her court appearance.

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/24122928/steven-king-accused-of-killing-1-year-old-elaina-steinfurth-takes-plea-deal

Mom gets prison time for Baby Elaina's murder

By HLNtv.com Staff

updated 5:30 PM EST, Tue December 03, 2013

NEED TO KNOW

• 18-month-old Elaina Steinfurth was reported missing in June
  
• Her remains were found in a garage three months later
  
• Elaina's mother was sentenced to 18 years to life on Tuesday
  

Baby Elaina case: Who's who

Angela Steinfurth and her ex-boyfriend, Steven King, were both sentenced to time behind bars Tuesday on charges relating to the slaying of Steinfurth's 18-month-old daughter, Elaina, earlier this year.

Prosecutors told a judge inside a Toledo, Ohio, courtroom that Elaina Steinfurth died soon after her mother threw her across a room because she wouldn't stop crying, according to HLN affiliate WTVG. King then detailed what happened after the baby hit her head as a result of being thrown.

"I tried to do CPR on her, but blood started coming out of her mouth and nose. She was hardly breathing, and she was unconscious. I panicked. I thought she was dying. I covered her mouth and nose with my hand and held it there until she stopped breathing. After Elaina died, I wrapped her body in a bag and hid her body in the garage," King said.

King pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Angela Steinfurth cried and declined to speak, according to WTVG. According to the Lucas County clerk of court, she then entered an Alford plea to murder and obstruction of justice, which means that she concedes there is sufficient evidence for a jury to convict her of a crime, but she maintains her innocence and does not admit to the acts with which she is charged. Steinfurth's Alford plea will still count as a conviction. She was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison and was fined $25,000.

Elaina Steinfurth, widely known as “Baby Elaina” since her disappearance, was reported missing from an East Toledo house -- the home of King's family -- on June 2. Angela Steinfurth initially said she last saw Elaina when she put the 18-month-old down for a nap that day.

A massive search of the surrounding neighborhood and a nearby river ensued, but for weeks there was no trace of the toddler. 

Police arrested Angela Steinfurth for child endangerment in June. But prosecutors decided to drop that charge, and Steinfurth was indicted for obstruction of justice later that month instead. In early August, King was also indicted for an obstruction of justice charge.

It was not until early September that authorities found Elaina Steinfurth's remains in a box hidden in the garage of the very house from which she disappeared. Toledo police said they had searched the garage earlier, but they were initially unable to bring cadaver dogs into the garage.

"[Steinfurth] tossed the child across the bedroom... causing the child to hit the bed then floor," the prosecutor said, according to WTVG. "At the time she did this, her co-defendant was present, and shortly thereafter they engaged in sexual intercourse."

Before handing down his sentence, Judge Gary Cook called Steinfurth's actions disturbing.

"You're selfish, and your disregard for life not only hurt baby Elaina, but hurt everyone," Cook said, according to WTVG. "It was a selfish act."

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/12/03/baby-elaina-mom-angela-steinfurth-steven-king-guilty

Transcript: Prosecutors, police hold press conference after Elaina Steinfurth pleas

Posted: Dec 03, 2013 10:40 PM CST
Updated: Dec 04, 2013 9:46 AM CST
By Holly Roney

Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates:

Very, very, very long day. A conclusion to a very tragic tale in Toledo history and I hope that I can talk to you for just a few minutes without weeping myself because it's very hard to deal with these kinds of dramas. I mean this is a, a real life, a real life and death and very, very, very, very sad day. But it brings to a conclusion many, many people have suffered, probably no one more than that little small child. Family, friends, neighbor, the community at large really came out for this case. So you may ask us, why did we make a deal with the devil today for a 25-life sentence in this case? I guess I owe you some explanation. Things that were said in court were about the facts and the circumstances and the evidence, but I think I probably owe you some explanation as to why we did what we did. And I would say that these men and – I guess I'm the only girl up here – the men and women that work here in this office, the police department, the FBI, did a great deal of soul searching about making any kind of concession to a killer of a child, but if you remember, a couple of months ago, Chief Diggs and I, FBI agents and police officers, stood at the press conference the day after we discovered those tiny little bones in a box, in a bag, in an attic of a garage, and we said to you, ‘What now, what now? What are you gonna do now?' and we said, ‘Well we have to find out what happened, we have to find out when it happened and we have to find out who did it.' Right?

So two months later, here we are, and we had tiny little bones – and when I say ‘tiny little bones' I mean tiny, little bones. We had some of the most wonderful, experienced, committed experts that this community and really this country has to offer looking at those bones to try to answer those questions which were really so important to bring a conclusion to this case. What happened to that child? When did it happen and who did it? So Dr. Steve Symes from Mercyhurst College, who is a forensic anthropologist, and our own Julie Saul, a forensic anthropologist, and a very special Dr. Barnett, works at the coroner's office, a forensic pathologist, looked at those bones and they gave us some answers. But the answers they gave us did not answer all the questions. They told us that child suffered traumatic injuries and that those injuries were painful, but that would not have been something where the child would have been [inaudible]. That child would have been crying and screaming. It was painful. And that those injuries were fairly recent in terms of when the child died. Those doctors and those experts could not tell us who did it, they could not tell us exactly what happened because there was no soft tissue to examine, and they could not tell us exactly when it happened. So how do we answer those questions?

We answer those questions with an agreement we made with the killer of that child and with the child's mother, who was absolutely a willing participant in this whole matter as to what happened to that baby. So I have to say – when did it happen, what happened and who did it – these were really tough questions and only part of the story came out of the experts. Only part of the answers came from the police department that worked so tirelessly to find those answers. When you think about dredging the river, and the woods, and looking in all those vacant houses and all the things that they did to try to find this baby. They weren't looking for a box of bones, they were looking for a child at first.

So we ask a lot of questions and we speculate on things, but there are things that we would never have known if we had not made an agreement as to the sentence that was imposed today, not only on Mr. King but on the child's mother, as well. So I say to you really imposing, I believe it was just, right thing to do. We know who the guilty parties are, we can  answer that, we know that they are convicted of this terrible crime, they are punished for it, and there is some degree of peace for that child, for the family and for all the people in this community that suffered so much and perhaps some healing.

And I just want to take just one moment to thank these gentlemen here who worked so hard in this case and who suffered so much right along with the community and the family, and for Chief Diggs and all his officers, the detectives and the sergeants and lieutenants and captains that worked so hard, and Dave Dustin from the FBI who helped, and the victim assistance people from my office who nurtured and counseled and tissued these family members through all this long ordeal that went on here. We're very, very lucky this community has so many committed people. I hope for everyone that suffered through this, whether they were a friend or a family member or a neighbor, just a person from our community, they prayed for her, they searched for her and hopefully, perhaps now today she can rest in peace and we can start to heal. So that's all the comments I have to say, I want to offer the microphone to Chief Diggs and the members of my staff, if you want to say something, please feel free to do that.

Toledo Police Chief Derrick Diggs:

The main thing I want to say is that this is a very, very tragic situation for our community. As I said a couple months ago, we were going to get justice for Elaina. Today's closure of that – we did that. We put a lot of resources in this. It was a top priority for the police department. I want to thank the prosecutor's office, the FBI, Toledo Fire department and all our partners that worked very closely with us, doing the things they had to do to bring this case to a conclusion. It's very tragic, we've concluded it and hopefully we got justice for Elaina.

Dave Dustin, FBI:

This was a tragic case and I want to thank the Toledo Police Department for their remarkable job on this case. We try cases all around the country, this is a big organization, and the prosecutor's office you have here in Lucas County is one of the best and very impressive, they did a great job on this. I'd like to thank them for their efforts on this. Really, for us at the FBI, there's really no higher priority for us than crimes against children. So it's something that we're gonna remain focused on, working together here, we can be proud of the team we have put together here in northwest Ohio, so I thank all these guys for their assistance.

Bates: Jeff and Rob, the two guys who worked the hardest on this case, if you want to say a few words.

Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor Jeff Lingo:

I appreciate all the help we got from the Toledo Police. They answered every question, did everything we asked them to do. The FBI was wonderful in providing resources as well as polygraph operator and skilled interrogators, not that the Toledo Police didn't have them, but we need a lot of help in this case and they made themselves available and we appreciate any help we got. I don't think it's any great secret that one of the things we had to do was talk with Steven King to find out where baby Elaina's remains were, and we were able to get that information by speaking with him, as well as some other information that helped us resolve this case. It was important to the family, and I will tell you that after speaking with the family, that we be able to find baby Elaina and put her in her resting place and that's one of the things that we had as a priority in this case. They have been kept well informed on what was going on, we have met with them on numerous occasions and as you heard in court today, they were on board with the decisions that we had to make as a prosecutor's office. Our job is to seek justice; we felt that we did that in this case. We worked very hard at it. Normally what you see is an indictment and months and months and months go by as far as a resolution. In this case, there was a lot of work that went on prior to indictment and sharing of information, and I will tell you as far as negotiations, we basically said, ‘This is it. It's this or nothing.' And you saw the result of that today. We don't live in a perfect world, but with the evidence we had in this case, and I think everyone's in agreement – the Toledo Police, the FBI and the family – with the evidence we had, we did the best we could.  Certainly there is justice for baby Elaina. Is it what everyone hoped for, I don't know, but the family is happy and they will both be in prison serving life sentences.

Robert Miller, Chief  of Prosecutor's Office Special Units Division:

I also want to thank, I thanked Chief Diggs earlier. We had like everyone in the Toledo Police Department at our disposal, and that was very, very refreshing. They took this case very seriously, they let us have countless hours of research and detective work and scuba diving work. Mrs. Bates has numerous prosecutors that helped on this case, we had people step up that it wasn't even their courtroom to be assigned to or their case. Law enforcement came together and put this together. The Lucas County Coroner's Office, Dr. Barnett did a wonderful job, immediately sent it out to an anthropologist who immediately sent it to another anthropologist. In the waking months of what happened here is putting countless hours and expertise together to find out before we go to the grand jury, before we get this indictment, who did what, and that's what we did in this case and I'm very appreciative of everyone's hard work. Thank you.

Q: When you say it was take it or leave it for Steven King and Angela, what were you offering them, was it taking the death penalty off the table?

Basically offered what they pled to. We said this is what you can plead to. As far as the death penalty, you have to understand that not every case qualifies for the death penalty. There are certain circumstances that have to be met and in this case it was our opinion that it did not meet those circumstances. So what we did was we presented the case to the grand jury, the indictments came out, and this is what they pled.

Q: What was it that didn't fit the criteria?

One of the things that you need to determine when you talk about a death penalty case is who the actual killer was. And if you were in both courtrooms, both Angela and Steven both inflicted serious injuries on this child. The question is was she already dying at the time that Steven did what he did? We can never answer that question, and the Supreme Court of Ohio has been pretty clear that you need to be able to establish those kinds of facts before you go forward with a death penalty, as to who the actual killer is. So there's a lot of consideration that went into those kinds of decisions.

Q: When you first went to the family with the plea deal, what was their original reaction?

We had been talking with them many times, and they knew we were talking to Mr. King when we did that. TJ was in, we talked to him. Their reaction has been very positive. They wanted to see some justice, they understood – again, I'm not going to go into great detail, but there are strengths and weaknesses in every case. That was the same here, but they understood and it doesn't take much in looking at recent history to know that if you try to overreach as a prosecutor, you sometimes get bad results. So the question here is balancing what we have against the charges that are possible, and we thought we did a pretty good job. And they were happy with what we explained to them, no one got a slap on the hand.

Q: Weren't there other people in the Federal St the night that baby Elaina was injured and killed and screaming?

I'll let Det. Morrow answer that:

Toledo Police Captain Wes Bombrys: Yeah there were several other people in there, we've interviewed them, some have taken polygraphs in the past. At this time, along with the prosecutor's office, we're quite comfortable that nobody else was involved in the crime itself and that they were not aware that it had occurred.

Q: They didn't hear it…[inaudible]

They didn't hear it or anything like that. If there was, obviously, we would have taken action but at this point, we have no evidence whatsoever. It was just Angela and Steven.

Q: King family members..?

King family members and friends, it was a household.

Q: Can you walk me through a quick timeline? What day do you believe the baby was thrown across the bed? Was that the first, Saturday?

We believe it was during the evening, between the first and second. Exact time, I'll be honest, I can't tell you. We're not explicitly sure exactly what time, but we believe it was between the first and second, and then they discovered the baby's severe injuries the morning of the second.

Q: So then, he disposed of the body sometime in the morning of the second?

That's correct, yes.

Q: So when TJ comes to the house on the second, is your belief that the baby was there?

That the baby was in the house or the garage?

Q: In the house.

Probably the baby was there in the house during the first initial visit, but was disposed of into the garage after he left with the oldest child.

Q: So you believe the baby was in the garage from the second? Correct. And the garage was searched…can you talk about that? Why wasn't she found June 2?

When we initially responded to the scene, the crews that get there, any time we get a missing person-type report, the first thing we look for is whether or not the 2-year-old, 18-month-old or whoever's missing, hasn't wandered off on their own. So we're looking for a live person that may be wandering in the neighborhood, wandering around the property, the house, that sort of thing. At that time, we didn't have any indication that the child was hurt or injured, or in this case, unfortunately, dead. We did conduct a search later on, a search warrant, into the house. At that time in the investigation, we were looking for evidence as to the injuries. We had information that the child was hurt in the house, and our search concentrated on the house. So at no time did we have information that the baby was in the garage. We did have information that led us to the river. You heard that in court. We were misled to the river. We spent a lot of resources on that. When we finally did get the information that the child was possibly in the garage, we obviously got the warrant and found the child there.

Q: How did you get information out of Steven, finally, after 3, 4 months, to finally get him to mention the garage?

I can tell you, we talked to him, just like any other interrogation.  During the process of talking to him it came out.  The exact details of how we do interrogations - I'm not going to go into detail.  That was done with the cooperation of the prosecutors office, arranging to have him brought over with his attorney.

Bates: And let me say, it's not only what motivates somebody to kill, what motivates somebody to confess, what motivates somebody to say what they did with the body.  I guess we can only be glad in a way that this happened and we were able to find that poor child because you hear of cases, specifically the 3 missing boys from Michigan who there's still a search and 'are they alive? are the dead? where are they? what happened?'.  That is very tragic to me, and I want to reiterate on behalf of the police department on that very first day they were not looking for bones, they were looking for a missing child, a child that was 18 months old that could have wandered off.  Could that child have been kidnapped?  Have that child have been abducted?  Could that child have been taken by the father who thought perhaps the mother wasn't being a good mother?  I mean any number of hypotheses they could have come up with. But they certainly weren't looking for bones, so they did what they had to do, and here we are.

Was there any deal made for him that day when he led you to the body?

No. Who knows, was it conscience?  Was it a moment of spiritual - who can say.  He'd been in court, he'd been with his family, he had his family there.  There'd been some moments there.  I think they were in the jury room having a chat.  I don't know what happened.  It's hard to say.  It was also a number of months from the death until the finding of those bones so had we known a month earlier, two months earlier we may have been able to make other determinations that we were unfortunately unable to make because of the decomposing that took place over the course of a 100 degree summer.

At what point did it turn into a homicide investigation?  What triggered at that point that you'd need another search of the garage?

Bombrys: Prior to the search of the garage, when we did the second search when we believed the child was injured, we weren't sure of the exact condition of the child at that time but we believed the child had been injured.  That was through talking with Angela and talking with other people regarding her condition as mentioned.  We had prior video of her in good health from the day before.  Like I said, mainly when we were talking to her we believed the child was injured.

At that point you know the child's injured.  When did you know it was a homicide investigation when you were going forward?

You really don't know until you find her.

I think it was mentioned in court before she was found, correct?

Bates: He wasn't talking about a murder, we were talking about potentially a murder.

Bombrys: There's a potential for it, you really don't know until you find the body.  You have hunches.

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/24129266/trancription-of-elaina-presser

I don't understand these sentences.  This woman should not have the possibility of parole after 17 years.

Can you imagine having sex with a dying little tiny baby on the floor in excruciating pain? 

Then all they did after the murder...

Sentences way too light, for both of them.

I agree. Death for a death. They killed a child they should pay with their lives. William

Memorial set for slain toddler Elaina Steinfurth

Published: Monday, 6/2/2014
BLADE STAFF

One year ago today, 18-month-old Elaina Steinfurth was reported missing from an East Toledo home.

The toddler‘s remains were found months later, at the same address where she was last seen, after countless community rallies and endless searches of the city, Maumee River, dumpsters, and fields.

In remembrance of the girl, family and community members are hosting a memorial at Leonard and Federal streets at 7 p.m. today. Organizers ask participants to bring balloons.

The girl’s mother, Angela Steinfurth, and her now ex-boyfriend, Steven King III, are serving life sentences for the girl‘s death. King pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. Steinfurth pleaded guilty to murder.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2014/06/02/Memorial-set-for-slain-toddler-Elaina-Steinfurth.html#zjdbi0gvSJMVFcH2.99