ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — Yesterday, the Guardian broke the story of a mother and her boyfriend who were arrested for the alleged kidnapping and torture of a 12-year-old girl.
The Ross County Sheriff’s Office has since released new details in the case. The mother, charged with felony kidnapping and child abuse, claims that the case is a setup orchestrated by the children and their stepfather.
On August 8, the Ross County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Water Street in the village of Richmond Dale after receiving reports that a child was zip-tied to a bed inside the home.
According to the report, around 7:51 AM, a deputy from the sheriff’s office responded to the residence after a man called, stating that his daughter had received a text message from her friend, claiming that her sister was zip-tied to a bed.
Upon arrival, the deputy knocked on the door, which a 15-year-old female answered. The teen informed the deputy that the 12-year-old was in a bedroom, restrained. The deputy then located the child lying face up, with her right wrist secured to the headboard by a zip tie. The deputy noted in the report that the child appeared visibly upset and confused about the situation. When the deputy asked the teen to find scissors to cut the restraints, the teen allegedly responded that their mother had hidden the scissors and warned the children they would be in trouble if they freed the girl.
The deputy retrieved a knife from their vehicle to free the child. An ambulance was then called to assess the child’s condition.
In the report, the deputy stated that the children claimed their mother, Samantha Stilson, had zip-tied the girl to the bed for the past few days while she was at work so the child “wouldn’t make a mess in the house.” The children also reportedly alleged that Stilson was both physically and verbally abusive. One child mentioned that the mother would chase them with sticks and had recently choked one of the children for being disobedient.
EMS arrived on the scene and evaluated the child. The deputy noted that photographs of the home were taken, and the residence was described as “incredibly messy.” The deputy also expressed concern in the report, stating that the home was unfit for children to live in.
Additional deputies arrived at the scene and provided the children with some food. According to the report, the children’s stepfather then arrived and stated that he had custody of the children for the past seven years, with shared parenting for the last four years. However, on July 25, 2024, custody of the children was granted to Stilson.
Deputies then went to the workplace of Samantha Stilson and her live-in boyfriend, Wesley Boyer, who were both employed at Belisio’s in Jackson County. It was there that both Boyer and Stilson were taken into custody. According to the sheriff’s office, Stilson denied any knowledge of the zip-tied child and claimed that the children and their stepfather had conspired to set them up.
A forensic interview was reportedly conducted with the children, who were then placed into the custody of Children Services.
Stilson was subsequently charged with kidnapping with a terror specification and felony child abuse with a torture specification. Boyer faces charges of complicity and aiding and abetting.
The case remains under investigation.