On Tuesday morning, an elementary school student handed her teacher a note that had been written by her mother, KVUU reports, and Las Vegas police say the contents were grim: "That note indicated that the mom was being held against her will," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer said. "She also stated that she did not know the whereabouts of her preschool-aged child." Police then searched the home on Saddle Brook Park Drive where the woman was living and found her son's body in a freezer in the garage.
Police say the woman told them she had last seen her son on Dec. 11, and that her boyfriend abused her and did not permit her to enter the garage or leave the home, NBC News reports. She indicated that she suspected the child was dead, Spencer said. Police arrested Brandon Toseland, 35. Toseland, who is not the father of either child, faces kidnapping and murder charges. In a Wednesday court hearing, prosecutor Tim Fettig said the deceased 4-year-old "had visible injuries," per the Review-Journal. Toseland is being held without bail. (More Las Vegas stories.)