On November 22, 2022, 8-year-old Theodore "Theo" Cochrane died from ligature compression of the neck (asphyxia due to a zip tie) in Huntington County, Indiana. The child had been picked up from an activity center due to behavior issues by his mother's boyfriend, Matthew Dirig, while his mother Ashlee Cochrane was at work. Dirig locked the child in his bedroom, which was described as his "safe space," and then spent approximately two hours playing video games without checking on the child. When the mother returned home, she found the child deceased with a plastic zip tie around his neck. The child had received inpatient mental health treatment approximately two months prior after making suicidal statements about choking himself, and a safety plan was in place requiring the removal of potentially harmful items. The zip ties belonged to Dirig. The autopsy doctor noted it would be difficult for a small child to apply adequate tension and that it appeared a pulling force was applied from the back of the child's neck. Defensive scratch marks were found on Dirig's coat. The manner of death was officially ruled as could not be determined because homicide could not be ruled out. Dirig was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and the mother was later charged with neglect of a dependent and child endangerment.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Multiple sources describe inappropriate supervision. The fatality report states: "The mother's boyfriend reported that he knew the child needed to be checked on every several minutes, but he became sidetracked while playing a video game and failed to check on the child for about an hour and a half." The WANE article adds that the child was locked in his room for "nearly two hours" and that Dirig "never checked on the victim because he 'got sidetracked.'" This constitutes inappropriate supervision of a child with known suicidal tendencies and a safety plan requiring frequent monitoring.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The 21Alive news article reports that the autopsy doctor "noted that research concerning suicide shows it would be difficult for a small child to apply adequate tension, saying it appears a pulling force was applied from the back of his neck." Additionally, the WANE news article states that a detective found a black coat belonging to Dirig with "fresh scratch marks" that "appeared consistent with defensive scratching with fingernails." While the manner of death was officially ruled as "could not be determined," these findings suggest possible inflicted injury (ligature strangulation), though it was never conclusively determined.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The 21Alive news article states: "prosecutors tell 21Alive that Cochrane is charged with neglect of a dependent and child endangerment in connection with her son's death." Ashlee Cochrane, the child's biological mother, was charged in connection with the death, indicating her involvement through negligent caregiving.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The fatality report identifies the perpetrator as "Mother's boyfriend." The WANE article names him as "32-year-old Matthew Dirig, the boyfriend of the victim's mother," who was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death after failing to supervise the child.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The fatality report states: "Number of previous unsubstantiated assessments for victim: 1" and "Number of previous substantiated assessments for victim: 0." This confirms there was at least one prior child protection report for this child before the fatal incident.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The WANE article states: "Authorities charged Dirig with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony in Indiana." The 21Alive article adds: "Cochrane is charged with neglect of a dependent and child endangerment in connection with her son's death." Both the mother's boyfriend (Matthew Dirig) and the mother (Ashlee Cochrane) were charged.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the source material. First, the autopsy doctor noted in the 21Alive article that "research concerning suicide shows it would be difficult for a small child to apply adequate tension, saying it appears a pulling force was applied from the back of his neck," raising questions about whether the death was a homicide rather than self-inflicted. Second, the WANE article reports that a detective found Dirig's black coat with "fresh scratch marks" that "appeared consistent with defensive scratching with fingernails," and that Ring doorbell camera footage contradicted Dirig's claim the child was "aggressive" — police believed the victim "did not appear aggressive whatsoever" in the footage. Third, the fatality report notes the child had received inpatient mental health treatment two months earlier "after making suicidal statements about choking himself" and a safety plan was in place calling for "removal of anything that could be potentially harmful," yet the boyfriend admitted the zip ties "belonged to him" and remained accessible in the home. These details collectively point to a significant failure to follow the child's safety plan and raise serious questions about whether the death was actually inflicted rather than self-harm, despite the undetermined manner of death ruling.
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