There are few things more horrifying in this world than when a parent neglects their own child. In some cases, children get lucky and someone will rescue them from a terrible situation. Tragically, a 2-year-old boy in Montana wasn’t so fortunate. What investigators say his mother did to him is truly unimaginable. Nichole Lynn Boyer, 28, called 911 to report her son dead in mid-October, but nothing could prepare police for what they’d find inside her home.
Court documents obtained by NBC Montana shed light on the toddler’s horrific death. The child, identified only as S.B., was born in 2022 with spina bifida, club feet, and hydrocephalus, rendering him severely disabled. S.B. could not walk and got around by “army crawling,” according to an affadavit. Boyer called the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office on October 16, 2025, and reportedly told dispatchers her young son had died after a long illness.
Deputies arrived a short time later, and Boyer met them outside the residence and told police, “Just take me to jail.” They entered the home and immediately smelled “decomposing human remains,” NBC Montana reported. Trash and rotting food covered the floors, and the home reeked of animal feces and urine. Deputies went to a second-floor bedroom and made a heartbreaking discovery.
S.B. lay dead in a pile of laundry covered by one of his mother’s sweatshirts. His body appeared to be in an advanced stage of decomposition. Investigators questioned Boyer, who reportedly told them her son died sometime in September, but she couldn’t accept his death, the outlet reported. She said S.B. became sick in July and then again in August, but she didn’t take him to a doctor because she had everything she needed to care for him at home. She kept him in a “padded” room upstairs and visited him a few times a day to bring him water and food.
But things changed when school started and Boyer had to care for her three other children and her elderly father.
“Boyer said that at some point in September, she got overwhelmed and stopped caring for the child. When asked why, she stated that she ‘didn’t prioritize him,’” according to the affadavit. She stated, “I believe I should have done more” and agreed that her lack of care led to S.B.’s death. She shared, “my lack of not paying attention and prioritizing other things over him led to him dying.”
When asked if S.B. might have starved to death or frozen to death, Boyer told investigators she wasn’t sure and the entire month of September was a blur, but she did admit to not giving him water for weeks, per Law & Crime.
This mother seems to have some very serious mental health issues that need to be addressed. Perhaps if someone had checked in on her and S.B. sooner, this tragedy could have been avoided.
Police arrested Boyer, and she’s in jail on a $500,000 bond, charged with deliberate homicide. According to Montana law, Boyer could face the death penalty.
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.
