COLUMBUS, Ohio (TCN) — A 32-year-old mother and her 33-year-old girlfriend were arrested after the mother’s 8-year-old son was found dead in an attic after being reported missing.
On June 28 at 12:04 p.m., Columbus Division of Police officers went to the 1000 block of Olmstead Avenue regarding a missing child and spoke with the boy’s mother, Lashanda Wilder. She said her son, Martonio Wilder, was last seen the night prior at around 9:30 p.m. when he went to bed. Investigators from the Missing Unit concluded that foul play might be involved in his disappearance and called in the Homicide Unit for assistance. At around 6:20 p.m., detectives discovered Martonio Wilder deceased inside the home.
The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. According to court documents cited by the Columbus Dispatch, Wilder’s cause of death was due to “deep neck compressions.” His body was reportedly placed inside a garbage bag, which was put inside a sleeping bag cover.
Lashanda Wilder and her girlfriend, Johnna Lowe, fled after his body was found but turned themselves in to police on June 29.
Police brought a cadaver dog to search the home, and other children were left with some of Lowe’s relatives, but they are now in the care of Franklin County Family Services.
Lowe is being held on a charge of obstruction of justice, while Wilder is booked for murder and obstruction of justice.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Franklin County Family Services had been working with Lashanda Wilder for about two years. They reportedly visited the home the day before Martonio Wilder was found dead.
Martonio Wilder’s cousin, Seia Glover, told the Columbus Dispatch, “Some of the minor things that were red flags but didn’t really seem like they would lead to something like this of this magnitude. It caught us all off guard. She had support. There’s no excuse for this boy to be dead. There’s no reason for him to be stuffed up in the attic like he didn’t matter.”
Martonio Wilder’s extended family told the Columbus Dispatch the boy’s favorite words were, “I love you.”