Chapter 1: The Disturbing Discovery

On July 25, 2023, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received an anonymous tip urging a wellness check at the Staples residence. Since the agency typically requires specific indications of danger to a child before acting, they referred the matter to law enforcement, leading to the filing of a report.

The following day, Rock Island police responded to the situation. The investigation took a grim turn when they discovered the remains of 10-year-old Zion Staples concealed within a garbage can. It came to light that Zion had passed away in December 2022, but his body had been hidden for months while his mother allegedly continued to collect benefits in his name.

According to a source who had made several calls to DCFS, Staples had made peculiar remarks about her son prior to the tragic discovery. On January 3, 2023, she reportedly told the source that Christmas would never be the same, raising alarms about Zion's condition. The source, a long-time acquaintance of Staples, recounted a phone call where Staples was in tears, admitting she had left her son unsupervised, leading to his accidental death by self-inflicted gunshot.

Staples disclosed that she had hidden Zion’s body out of fear of losing her other children. She mentioned that her son had been distressed before her departure, expressing he missed his father.

In body camera footage from July 26, during questioning by police regarding the claims made by DCFS, Staples appeared bewildered. When informed of allegations that one of her children had accidentally shot themselves, she vehemently denied it, claiming, “absolutely not.” She even went so far as to deny having a son at all, expressing frustration over issues with her ex-husband's new girlfriend and claiming harassment.

When questioned about her children, she insisted she had four daughters and became defensive, questioning why neighbors hadn’t reported any gunfire if a shooting had indeed occurred. When police asked to search her basement, she refused, insisting a warrant was necessary. A few hours later, after securing the warrant, officers entered her home.

From the outset, the police were skeptical of Staples' narrative, particularly since Zion had not been seen for several months.

During a formal interview, Staples repeatedly insisted how absurd the situation was, expressing confusion over the allegations against her. She became emotional, claiming she was terrified and utterly clueless about what was happening.

As officers pressed her about her son, she tearfully denied ever having a child named Zion and insisted she had not filed for benefits in his name. The police informed her that DCFS had records indicating otherwise.

Despite her claims of identity theft and mistakes, Staples had texted a friend about being approached by an officer earlier that day, raising further suspicions. After a series of falsehoods, she was placed under arrest, bewildered and asking for clarification on the charges against her. The officer explained that she had committed fraud by applying for financial assistance.

The situation escalated, and as officers searched the house room by room, they discovered that Staples had purchased a burning barrel from Home Depot and concealed her son’s body in the basement. She had attempted to incinerate it but was unsuccessful.

An autopsy conducted on July 28 revealed that Zion had died from a gunshot wound, not from natural causes, likely in December 2022. His body was found stuffed into a metal trash can, clad only in Spider-Man pajama bottoms, having been left to decompose for seven to eight months.

On July 26, Sushi M. Staples, age 37, was arrested and charged with concealing a death, obstructing justice, and failing to report the death of a child. Each charge carried a potential sentence of one to three years in prison. According to the criminal complaint, Staples ha