An Ohio judge sentenced a woman to life in prison for her role in the death of her girlfriend’s 8-year-old son. Lashanda Wilder called 911 in June 2024 to report her son, Martonio Wilder, missing. Martonio wasn’t missing at all, however; he was dead. Investigators found Martonio’s body inside a plastic bag in his family’s attic.
Tragically, it appears the young boy suffered horrific abuse at the hands of his mother and her girlfriend, Johnna Lowe. Now prosecutors want justice for the victim. According to the Daily Mail, the Franklin County coroner determined Martonio died from “deep neck compression.” He was also severely malnourished and weighed just 35 pounds, with bruises and cuts covering his face and body.
Martonio’s abuse reportedly led him to misbehave at school, per the Daily Mail, and he often stole food from other children because he was so hungry. ABC 6 reported prosecutors said Lowe had very little to say after pleading guilty.
Prosecutors shared disturbing details from the case. “Mulitple witnesses and some family members told detectives that Miss Wilder treated Martonio Wilder different than her other sons,” a prosecutor said. “They spoke about unusual punishments for Martonio, including holding a weighted ball and walking up and down the steps while naked and restricting food. Witnesses also stated Martonio was always hungry and stole food from other homes he was at, including his school.”
A judge sentenced Lowe to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years on charges of murder and gross abuse of a corpse, the Daily Mail reported.
Wilder’s family shared their outrage with WBNS after Martonio’s death. Franklin County Children Services reportedly worked with the mother starting in 2016, when the baby tested positive for drugs at birth.
“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,” cousin Siea Glover told the news outlet.
Glover added that Wilder had lost full custody of Martonio for four years. The family thought Wilder had things under control. Martonio’s great aunt, Rachelle Knight, told WBNS a caseworker visited the home the day Martonio died.
“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. My first thought is what is the name of the daycare,” Knight said.
The angry relative added her frustration with family services. “I blame the court system and everybody else that kept giving them back. Y’all had a track record,” Knight said, per WBNS. “Your job is to make sure she did that, comply with that. But, if she didn’t, then y’all should have removed them babies from that home.”
Wilder will appear in court on July 15.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
