Eight-year-old Martonio Wilder died on June 28, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio, from asphyxia by anterior neck compression, with contributing conditions of blunt trauma to the head, severe malnutrition, and dehydration. His mother, LaShanda Wilder, had reported him missing that morning. A K-9 cadaver dog was called in to search the home, at which point LaShanda became uncooperative and left with her girlfriend, Johnna Lowe. Martonio's body was found hidden in the home's attic — a roughly 2-foot-tall space — concealed in a trash bag and sleeping bag cover. The mother admitted to locking Martonio in a small coat closet at night to prevent him from sneaking out for food, and Lowe admitted to beating him with an extension cord and crutch two days before his death. Autopsy findings revealed extensive bruising on his face, lacerations on his face and back, bleeding on the brain, and an abnormally thin body. Both women were charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, endangering children, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
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)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The medical examiner report (Document 1) identifies the cause of death as "Asphyxia by anterior neck compression" and lists "Blunt trauma to the head" as an other condition. The plea article (Document 3) states: "Miss Lowe admitted to beating Martonio on June 26. Hitting him in the back with an extension cord and crutch." The indictment article (Document 2) describes autopsy findings: "visible bruises on the boy's face around his eyes, nose and mouth, as well as lacerations and cuts on his face and back. Pictures also showed bleeding on the brain." This constitutes extensive inflicted injury including choking, beating, and blunt force trauma.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
The medical examiner report (Document 1) lists "Severe malnutrition, and dehydration" as other conditions contributing to the death. The indictment news article (Document 2) states "his body appeared abnormally thin." The plea news article (Document 3) states: "the coroner ruled Martonio's death a result of abuse and malnutrition." The FCCS news article (Document 4) quotes the family: "all of the cases were against Martonio for abuse, malnutrition."
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)?
The FCCS-focused news article (Document 4) states: "The first contact with Martonio and his mother happened in May 2016. The agency got a report that he tested positive for drugs at birth, which they found was true." This is explicit evidence of prenatal substance exposure.
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)?
Multiple sources describe a clear pattern of prolonged, deliberately cruel treatment. The plea article (Document 3) states: "Miss Wilder admits to locking Martonio in a small coat closet where he slept at night so they can't sneak out for food." The indictment article (Document 2) quotes the great aunt: "Martonio once told her his mother put him in the closet and threw a pack of crackers in there for him to eat." Document 3 further states: "Miss Lowe admitted to beating Martonio on June 26. Hitting him in the back with an extension cord and crutch." The medical examiner report (Document 1) lists severe malnutrition and dehydration. The bodycam article (Document 5) quotes the great aunt telling officers: "They are gonna go home and be tortured because of this incident." Taken together, this describes confinement, intentional food deprivation, sustained physical beatings, and deliberate starvation over an extended period.
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The plea article (Document 3) states: "Miss Wilder admits to locking Martonio in a small coat closet where he slept at night so they can't sneak out for food." Forcing a child to sleep locked in a small coat closet constitutes an unsafe sleeping environment, though not in the traditional SIDS-risk sense.
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?
LaShanda Wilder, Martonio's biological mother, was indicted and charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, endangering children, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. The plea article (Document 3) states: "Miss Wilder admits to locking Martonio in a small coat closet where he slept at night so they can't sneak out for food." She is directly implicated in the child's death.
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)?
Johnna Lowe, LaShanda Wilder's girlfriend, was charged with murder and other offenses. The plea article (Document 3) states: "Miss Lowe admitted to beating Martonio on June 26. Hitting him in the back with an extension cord and crutch." She is directly implicated as a female paramour involved in the child's death.
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
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?
The FCCS article (Document 4) states: "Children Services sustained another investigation involving Martonio in February 2024, this time finding educational neglect." A sustained finding of educational neglect approximately four months before his death implies the child was not attending school or had been taken out of school. The great aunt's past-tense reference in Document 2—"They used to get dropped off at my house when they got out of school, the bus would drop them off at my house"—further implies the child was no longer attending school at some point.
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 FCCS article (Document 4) details a clear history of child protection reports: "The first contact with Martonio and his mother happened in May 2016. The agency got a report that he tested positive for drugs at birth, which they found was true." Then: "That's when they got a report of physical abuse" in June 2022, which "ended in what the agency called an alternative response resolution." And: "Children Services sustained another investigation involving Martonio in February 2024, this time finding educational neglect." These are multiple prior CPS contacts spanning years before the child's death in June 2024.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
The FCCS article (Document 4) quotes Martonio's cousin: "LaShanda literally gave her kids away at one time. Like dropped them off, gave them up. Her mom and her sister went and got the kids out of Children Services." This implies the children were at least temporarily in the custody of Children Services (foster care or similar state care) before family members retrieved them. The same article states: "Glover said LaShanda did not have official custody of Martonio for four years. Then, she regained custody." This suggests a period where the child was outside his mother's custody, possibly in state or relative care.
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 indictment article (Document 2) states both LaShanda Wilder (32) and Johnna Lowe (33) were "indicted Monday by a Franklin County grand jury on several charges related to his death," including "murder, abuse of a corpse, endangering children, felonious assault and tampering with evidence." They turned themselves in to police and were arraigned.
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?
The FCCS article (Document 4) states: "The agency got a report that he tested positive for drugs at birth, which they found was true." A positive drug test at birth directly implies substance use by the mother during pregnancy.
Notable Details
Several substantive systemic issues are described across the documents. Document 4 details that Franklin County Children Services had multiple contacts with the family (May 2016 drug-positive birth, June 2022 physical abuse report, February 2024 educational neglect finding) yet the child remained in the home. The family's great aunt, Rachelle Knight, states: "I blame the case worker too because how are you going to come to the house and she got two other kids but Martonio is missing. LaShanda said, 'Oh, he's at daycare.' She said OK." This describes a caseworker visiting the home the very week Martonio died but failing to verify his whereabouts. Document 5 details that six months before the death, police responded to a Christmas Day 2023 incident where Knight explicitly warned officers: "if she go home those babies is going to suffer, they going to suffer... she is a horrible parent. Just go to her home, go look at her house." Officers said they could not intervene because LaShanda had custody. Additionally, after the body was discovered, both women left the scene during the active investigation, prompting an AMBER Alert for the siblings, and they were also charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence for hiding the body in the attic in a trash bag and sleeping bag cover.
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