A mother and grandmother were charged with murder and felony child abuse in connection with the death of a 3-year-old child in a North Carolina motel, police said.
According to WXII12, Chantarica Nasha Matthews, 29, and Inga Torrence Matthews, 50, are also charged with concealment of death, according to an Asheville police news release.
According to WBTV, the women were transported to the Buncombe County Detention Facility, where they were booked on child abuse and concealment of death charges and are being held on a $95,000 secured bond. According to police, no bond has been set on the murder charge.
Each woman has been assigned to a public defender’s office, but as of Tuesday, no specific attorney had been named.
On Monday afternoon, patrol officers were dispatched to a motel in response to a welfare check, according to a news release. Officers entered the motel room and discovered a small child deceased on the floor and two women inside. According to investigators, the child appeared to be severely malnourished.
According to the news release, detectives believe the women and child had been staying at the hotel on an irregular basis for some time.
Bill Davis, the department’s spokesman, said police were still searching for next of kin on Tuesday.
