Prosecutor: Malnourishment, 'unusual punishments' part of 8-year-old's life prior to death
New details were revealed Wednesday in the death of 8-year-old Martonio Wilder, including that his mother and her girlfriend charged with his murder had initially attempted to falsely blame one of the boy's brothers for killing him.
Lashanda Wilder, 32, and Johnna Lowe, 33, appeared Wednesday for arraignments before Franklin County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Mike Thompson. Bond was set at $2 million for Wilder and $1.25 million for Lowe.
Wilder and Lowe are each charged with murder, endangering children, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse in connection with Martonio's death.
Martonio was found in a trash bag inside another container on June 28 in the attic of a home on the 1000 block of Olmstead Avenue. Wilder had reported Martonio missing earlier that day, saying she had not seen him since the night before.
Assistant Prosecutor Scott Sugarman said Lowe spoke with detectives the day after her arrest, admitting she and Wilder had "concocted" a story about Martonio running away to cover up his death.
Sugarman said Lowe initially told detectives one of Martonio's brothers had killed the boy with a rock, but later admitted that was a lie.
During her interview, detectives say Lowe reportedly told them she and Wilder had beaten Martonio on June 26 with a crutch. Lowe said the two had also used "unusual punishments" in the past, including withholding food from the boy and keeping him in a coat closet.
Sugarman said there was evidence of Martonio being malnourished and having been physically abused for some time.
Lowe also reportedly admitted that she and Wilder had wrapped a cord around Martonio's neck, Sugarman said.
AUDIO: 'Where is my child?' Listen to 911 call from mom charged with killing son Martonio Wilder
An autopsy preliminarily revealed Martonio died from deep compression injuries to his neck. A final autopsy report has not yet been released by the Franklin County Coroner's office.
Columbus police said after searching nearby areas and the home, a cadaver dog was brought in to help with the search. Police said Wilder became uncooperative and took two of her children, leaving the home with Lowe.
The children were eventually found with one of Lowe's relatives. Wilder and Lowe were arrested later that evening.
Lowe's mother, Mary Johnson, is also facing a charge of obstructing justice related to the case. She is scheduled to have her first court appearance on July 22.
Thompson set bond at $1.25 million for Lowe and ordered her to have no contact with Wilder and no unsupervised contact with minors if she is released, including her own two children.
Bond for Wilder was set at $2 million with similar conditions if she is released.
Wilder, Lowe and Johnson are all being held in the Franklin County jail.
New records provide insight into concerns in Wilder's parenting
Records provided by Franklin County Juvenile Court show that a motion for emergency custody of Lashanda Wilder's other two children, boys ages 9 and 3, was filed after her arrest.
The motion says Wilder had been involved with Franklin County Children Services since May 2022. At that time, Wilder reportedly was living in a family shelter with her children and had been living there for about five months.
Wilder's interactions with Children Services were ongoing, and she was reported to have been "observed to yell and cuss at the older children and it was reported that she was observed berating" one of the children, the motion says. The child's name who was berated is redacted from the document.
Wilder had also been reported to have said she was "done with" one of her children and wanted to give up custody. The child's name had once again been redacted.
Children Services has previously said the agency is working to find the best place for Wilder's children to live while focusing on their safety and well-being.
Family says boy 'just bones' at his death
Rachelle Knight, Lashanda Wilder's aunt, and Seia Glover, Martonio's cousin, said after Wednesday's court hearing they were still learning details about the death of Martonio.
Knight said when the family viewed Martonio's body, he didn't feel like he was a well-developed child.
"It was nothing there, it was just bones," she said, referencing his small size.
Knight said she wonders about what Martonio's thoughts were as he was allegedly beaten by his mother and wasn't able to get food.
"What was that baby thinking about? That's all I can think about," Knight said.
She said she had last seen Martonio on his 8th birthday in May. Knight said Lashanda Wilder had called her to pick up Wilder and Lowe from a court hearing. When Knight arrived, she said the two women told her not to wish Martonio a happy birthday.
"She said, 'Don't tell him it's his birthday; he don't deserve it,'" Knight said. "They wanted me to buy her and her girlfriend something to eat. I bought all three of them something because I know if I had brought Martonio something to eat for his birthday, he wouldn't have gotten it."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Martonio Wilder death: Did mother, girlfriend plan to blame child?
