Bond set for man accused of murdering mother, burning her body
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A Toledo man is charged with murdering his mother and setting her body on fire, according to court records.
Travis J Lewton, 31, attacked his mother, Nancy Lewton, 71, when she came home by choking her, court documents allege. After she stopped breathing, Lewton admitted to “taking her body down in the ravine behind his house, stuffing her in a sewer pipe, and setting her on fire,” court records show.
Lewton is charged with premeditated aggravated murder. He is being held on a $1 million bond. He’s scheduled to be back in court on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Detectives said they found Nancy Lewton dead in the wooded area behind the house.
Lewton told police that he had been “thinking about killing his mother for about a week prior,” court documents said.
Toledo Police officers said they received a call on Saturday morning around 9 a.m. for a missing person.
Police spent much of Saturday at the home located at 1800 block of Wildwood Road.
Ray and Cynthia Wagner tell 13abc they have lived on the block for years.
“We’ve known Travis Since he was in high school And he had trouble back then, like a lot of kids but maybe a little bit more. And it just followed him as he grew up,” said Ray.
Neighbors say this isn’t the first time Lewton was violent with his mother. They tell 13abc he’s forced his way into the family home before and had multiple run-ins with the law.
”Travis has struggled since he was a young man. I think the fact that, as Ray said, it’s a quiet neighborhood just highlights that mental health issues are universal. We need more community resources, we need help. It doesn’t matter nobody is immune,” said Cynthia. “A mother’s love just doesn’t end. No matter what your son’s mental illness is, and I’m sorry that it ended this way.”
Toledo Police released body camera footage showing the moment officers arrested Lewton. You can watch it in full below.
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