Seymour Johnson airman faces court-martial in son's death

After an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury, charges against Matthew Theurer, 21, of murder by an act inherently dangerous to another, involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, child endangerment, obstruction of justice and making a false official statement were referred for prosecution.

The charges stem from the death of 14-month-old Matthew Theurer, whose body was discovered in a plastic bag on March 12 in a wooded area along N.C. Highway 905, between Whiteville and Tabor City in Columbus County.

According to an autopsy, the boy was severely malnourished and died of neglect.

Authorities said the child lived with his mother in Indiana until last July, when she asked Theurer to take him because she could no longer care for him.

The boy attended off-base day care from August to November and was scheduled to start base day care in December, but he never went. Theurer had moved a friend into his base apartment to care for the child, but she was escorted off the base in January, according to the autopsy report.

“After this date, no day care was provided for this child, and he was left alone for approximately 12 hours every day and was provided with little food while his father was at … work,” the report said.

The court-martial is scheduled to start Oct. 15 at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.