Mound City Council passes resolution to rename bridge after Eli Hart

MOUND, Minn. -- The Mound City Council unanimously passed a resolution to rename a portion of a bridge to memorialize 6-year-old Eli Hart, who was found dead in the trunk of a car his mother was driving in May.

The city council will work with Hennepin County to rename a portion of Shoreline Drive that goes over Seton Channel the "Eli Hart Memorial Bridge." 

The decision came after an online petition received over 2,000 signatures and the blessing of Tory Hart, Eli Hart's father.

The memorial would be adjacent to the location where his mother, Julissa Thaler, was initially stopped by police. Orono officers stopped Thaler on May 20 after a caller reported the car had a shattered rear window and a blown out tire. Officers then noticed blood inside the car, which lead them to a body in the trunk.

The resolution still has to go before the Hennepin County Commission, as it is a county road.