Central city man charged in connection with 11-month-old's death

1/4/2018

THE BLADE
Buy This Image

A central Toledo man is charged with murder in connection to the death of his girlfriend’s 11-month-old baby.

OBJECTEric Mathis, 30, was originally charged with child endangering, but the charge was upgraded Wednesday to the first-degree felony after an autopsy produced new and additional evidence, police said.

An autopsy was performed Wednesday at the Lucas County Coroner’s Office. Lucas County Coroner Dr. James Patrick said the baby died as a result of blunt-force injuries to the abdomen, with the case ruled as a homicide.

Police were dispatched about 6:20 a.m. Monday to a residence in the 2400 block of Nebraska Avenue, where they found the baby unresponsive in the bathtub. 

Mr. Mathis, as the person responsible for the child’s care at the time, is responsible for causing Nehemiah Wright’s death, according to an affidavit filed in Toledo Municipal Court. The boy’s mother was not home at the time, police said. 

He is accused of using blunt-force trauma with such force to cause the baby’s death, according to court documents. 

“Additional details on what injuries he sustained and how that happened will be part of the investigation,” said Sgt. Kevan Toney, the Toledo Police Department’s spokesman. “That’s not available for release right now.”

The baby was treated at the scene and transported to ProMedica Toledo Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Mr. Mathis was arrested by police Monday on the initial charge, and he remained in custody Wednesday at the Lucas County jail pending arraignment Thursday on the new charge in Toledo Municipal Court. 

Mike Sigov, Blade staff writer, contributed to this report.

Contact Allison Reamer at areamer@theblade.com, 419-724-6506 or on Twitter @AllisonRBlade.