By Shereen Siewert
A Merrill-area mother charged in connection with her 15-month-old son’s death raised more than $1,300 to help pay for the child’s funeral expenses, Wausau Pilot & Review has learned
Amber Paige Boyd, 22, was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop in Merrill. She and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Cody Gene Robertson, are facing felony charges of child neglect causing death in connection with the boy’s death.
During an appearance Thursday in Lincoln County Circuit Court both suspects were ordered held on a $50,000 bond with the first $25,000 to be paid in cash.
Police say Boyd, at about 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 12, called 911 to report she found her child not breathing at her town of Corning home. Boyd told dispatchers she discovered the child “like five minutes” earlier, and called another person before calling 911. Officers and rescue crews arrived about 15 minutes later and noted that the child had numerous bruises to the face, head, arms and legs, according to the criminal complaint.
According to court documents, an autopsy performed Nov. 13 showed the child had dozens of lesions on the child’s body and weighed just 17 pounds at the time of his death, below the third percentile for children his age. Blood test results showed the boy had methamphetamine in his body at the time of his death and additional tests showed his siblings also had methamphetamine in their urine, according to court documents.
Police say Boyd admitted that she and Robertson smoked methamphetamine in the living room on the day the boy died. Methamphetamine was discovered at the scene.
Boyd is listed as the organizer for a GoFundMe effort to pay for the boy’s funeral costs. The fundraiser netted $1,330.
Both Robertson and Boyd, who are due in court in July, remain behind bars as of Friday afternoon.
