Child's body found after Amber Alert is canceled for Ohio siblings

Brian Hofmann and Mark Feuerborn

5 hours ago

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two brothers have been found safe, but Columbus police say they also found the body of a third child Friday night after an Amber Alert was issued.

Investigators were searching for two boys, a 9-year-old and a 3-year-old, but confirmed around 9:50 p.m. that they had located both. Columbus Division of Police Sgt. James Fuqua said they had not found Lashanda Delores Wilder, the boys' 32-year-old mother, named in the original Amber Alert as the last person they were seen with.

Columbus police had already sent out a notice Friday afternoon about another missing child, 8-year-old Martonio Wilder, but did not upgrade the case to an Amber Alert. At a news conference at 10:50 p.m., CPD Chief Elaine Bryant confirmed that police believe they found Martonio's body in the Wilder home. Fuqua confirmed that Martonio is a brother to the 3-year-old and the 9-year-old.

Bryant said the mother called police earlier at noon. Lashanda told them Martonio was missing from their home in the 1000 block of Olmstead Avenue and that “he’s done this before.” The division noted in its previous message that Martonio was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Thursday in the same area.

The chief said the Amber Alert was initially issued at 9:03 p.m., before investigators found two of the brothers alive at 9:29 p.m. at the home of a family member of a friend of Lashanda.

“We are treating this as a suspicious death,” Bryant said.

Deputy Chief Smith Weir could not confirm Martonio's cause of death, but said Lashanda was not a suspect in the death investigation Friday night.

Lashanda is black, 5-7 and weighs 220 pounds. It is unclear what type of vehicle she is traveling in, and Bryant said they have no information on where she might be.

Police asked anyone with information to call 911 or 877-262-3764.