Mom charged after 8-year-old is strangled, Wisconsin cops say. ‘A sweet, smart kid’
A 41-year-old mother faces multiple charges, including murder, after police say her 8-year-old son died at a hospital after being assaulted.
Police in Sheboygan Falls said they were called to the family’s home around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30, by the child’s father. The father “started life-saving measures on the child,” who was taken to a Sheboygan hospital by first responders, according to police.
The boy, identified by officers as Oliver Hitchcock, died on Friday, April 1, after he was transported to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, police said in a news release.
His mother, whose identity has not been released, faces preliminary charges of first-degree intentional homicide and attempted intentional homicide, according to police. Eric Miller, police chief in Sheboygan Falls, said in a news briefing that the boy was strangled.
Details of the attempted intentional homicide charge have not been disclosed, but police said a second child was home at the time of the assault. The father is not a suspect.
“On behalf of the City of Sheboygan Falls and its residents, we offer condolences and prayers to the family of Oliver Hitchcock,” Miller said in a news release. “This tragedy is not anything any family should have to endure.”
The mother was hospitalized with “self-inflicted injuries” before being released and taken to the Sheboygan County Jail, police said. Formal charges have not been filed.
Oliver was a second-grade student at Sheboygan Falls Elementary School, district superintendent Annalee Bennin said.
“We want to offer our condolences to the family. We want to offer our gratitude to the police department and the entire city and the work they have done with us in the lat few days,” Bennin said. “We have some tough days ahead for our families, our students, our staff.”
Students in the Sheboygan Falls School District were encouraged on Monday, April 4, to wear purple, which was Oliver’s favorite color.
Oliver’s uncle, Eric Hitchcock, told WISN “Oliver was a sweet, smart kid” who enjoyed playing Minecraft and spending time with his brother.
“It’s horrible that it happened. It just doesn’t make any sense,” Eric Hitchcock said. “I just couldn’t believe it was true. I mean I just talked to his mom two days before and things were normal and we had a good conversation. It’s just unbelievable.”
Sheboygan Falls is about 55 miles north of Milwaukee.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Mom charged after 8-year-old is strangled, Wisconsin cops say. ‘A sweet, smart kid’."