MILWAUKEE (WITI/CNN) – A Wisconsin mother faces homicide charges after she bound her 4-year-old with seven belts and set him on fire, authorities say.
According to a criminal complaint, 23-year-old Amelia Di Stasio set her son Antonio, who had autism, on fire the morning of Sept. 28.
The fire department responded to calls that morning of smoke coming from their apartment building.
Inside, investigators say they found Antonio’s body in the bathtub. His hands and arms were secured to his sides with seven belts, and a plastic bag had been placed over his head.
The boy was badly burned. Investigators learned he had been set on fire with the use of an accelerant. A bottle of canola cooking oil was located on the bathroom sink.
“He was a good kid, always smiling,” Antonio’s uncle said.
A neighbor allegedly told police the day before Antonio’s death, she heard him yell, "Please, Mommy, stop. I won't do it again."
Another witness says she saw Amelia Di Stasio climb out of her apartment window and run away before fire trucks arrived.
"It's impossible to describe it. I got to hope that Antonio is in heaven,” said Ralph Di Stasio, Antonio’s grandfather and the suspect’s father.
Police arrested the 23-year-old mother later the same day her son’s body was discovered. On her cell phone, investigators say there were searches for “how do canabals [sic] die” and “how to kill a canabal [sic].”
Police also say a message board, which was dedicated to an online “horror survival game” in which players fight cannibals, was visited on Amelia Di Stasio’s phone. The board contained posts about killing cannibals with fire and stated cannibals “often like to bath in oil.”
Amelia Di Stasio was charged with first degree intentional homicide. If convicted, she faces life in prison.
"It's hard to accept, but with all the prayers and everything, and family and friends, it's a little easier,” Ralph Di Stasio said.
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