Grandfather of Montana toddler found dead in pile of laundry now facing charges
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LIMA, Montana — A Montana grandfather has been charged with negligent homicide in the death of his 3-year-old grandson, adding a second arrest in a case that has shocked the small community of Lima.
Christopher Michael Cox, 48, is accused of failing to provide basic care and necessities for the child, who had spina bifida and was found deceased inside the family’s home in October. Cox faces felony negligent homicide and misdemeanor child endangerment charges.
Cox’s arrest comes months after the child’s mother, Nicole Lynn Boyer, 28, was charged with felony deliberate homicide after calling 911 and allegedly telling dispatchers, “Just take me to jail” and “He didn’t die today.”
Authorities responding to the home on Oct. 16 said they immediately noticed a strong odor of decomposition.
Court documents said investigators immediately noticed a strong odor of decomposition inside the home, which was described as being in “poor condition” with piles of trash, rotten food and animal feces. The child’s body was found in an upstairs bedroom on a pile of laundry and trash next to a mattress. He was covered with a sweatshirt that Boyer said belonged to her.
A doctor later confirmed the child had spina bifida, club feet, and hydrocephalus, leaving him severely disabled and unable to walk, according to court documents.
Investigators said Boyer admitted she confined her son to an upstairs room and stopped caring for him in September, saying she became “overwhelmed” and “didn’t prioritize him.”
She allegedly told agents she could not remember the last time she gave him food or water, and acknowledged she had known for weeks he was dead.
Other children in the home told police they had heard the toddler crying but believed he was dead when the cries stopped.
Both Boyer and Cox are being held in the Beaverhead County Jail on $500,000 bond each. Three other children have been removed from the home.
Cox faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Hearings for both defendants are scheduled for next week.