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.