Slain 7-Year-Old Interred After 2 Years

LANSING, Mich. - The body of a 7-year-boy slain nearly two years ago by his adoptive parents has been interred and the child mourned in private services.

The remains of Ricky Holland were placed in an aboveground vault on Friday. They had been kept in a laboratory while a legal dispute went on between his family and authorities.

"For us, it is one further step toward closure," Rod Weston, a family member, told the Lansing State Journal in a statement.

At Lisa Holland's trial, Tim Holland testified that she struck Ricky's head with a hammer and had abused the boy for years by restraining him with ropes and not feeding him. The boy died in July 2005. Tim Holland dumped the body a game area in rural Ingham County and led authorities to the location in January 2006.

Lisa Holland, 35, is serving life without parole for a first-degree murder conviction. Tim Holland, 38, is serving between 30 and 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

An agreement in April gave Medical Examiner Dean Sienko the power to make funeral arrangements and preserve Ricky's remains until Lisa and Tim Holland exhaust their criminal appeals.

"The family had their services," Sienko said. "I'm hoping this will help the community come to closure."

Because Ricky's remains were placed in a vault, Sienko said they can been accessed if needed for further investigation.

The Hollands became Ricky's foster parents in 2000 and adopted him in 2003, the year after his biological parents' rights were terminated because of neglect.