8-year-old faced ‘unusual punishments’ before body found in attic, OH officials say
.png "Martonio Wilder was 8 years old when his body was found hidden in an attic in Columbus, Ohio, prosecutors said. His mother pleaded guilty to murder.")
Warning: The following report contains graphic details some may find disturbing.
An Ohio woman is accused of killing her 8-year-old son after his body was found hidden in an attic, officials said.
Lashanda Wilder, 33, pleaded guilty to murder, gross abuse of a corpse and theft from her workplace, according to a July 15 news release from the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.
McClatchy News reached out to Wilder’s attorney for comment July 15 but did not immediately hear back.
On June 28, 2024, Columbus police responded to a home for reports of a missing child.
Wilder told police her 8-year-old son Martonio Wilder was missing and the last time she saw him was when she put him to bed around 9:30 p.m. the night before, according to prosecutors.
Wilder told police she believed he may have run away, prosecutors said.
Authorities searched the area for hours, using a police helicopter and a cadaver dog. Then, around 6:20 p.m., police found Martonio’s body in a trash bag hidden in the attic of the home, prosecutors said.
Wilder; her girlfriend, Johnna Lowe; and two other children had left the property by that time, officials said. An Amber Alert was issued for the two children with Wilder. However, they were later found safe with Lowe’s mother, prosecutors said.
History of abuse
Martonio was abused prior to his death, according to prosecutors.
An autopsy report showed he was severely malnourished and dehydrated, prosecutors said. He had signs of blunt force trauma, bruises and cuts on his face and head, officials said.
“His eyes and abdomen were sunken, and his pelvis, collarbone, ribs and kneecaps were clearly visible through his skin,” prosecutors said.
Martonio weighed 35 pounds at the time of his death, according to officials. The autopsy showed he died of asphyxia by neck compression.
Witnesses and family members said Martonio experienced “unusual punishments,” such as holding a weighted medicine ball while walking up and down stairs naked, prosecutor Dan Meyer said in court June, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Meyer said Wilder told him she and Lowe beat Martonio and locked him in a closet to stop him from stealing food at night, the news outlet said.
“You should have asked us for help. We was there for you LaShanda. You made a horrible mistake. You had your family,” Rachelle Knight, Wilder’s aunt, said during the court hearing, WBNS reported. “We miss Martonio. We loved him. That was very selfish that you did this.”
Wilder was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years, according to officials. Lowe was given the same sentence in June after pleading guilty to murder and gross abuse of a corpse.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 4:25 PM with the headline "8-year-old faced ‘unusual punishments’ before body found in attic, OH officials say."
