Photo: Carroll County Sheriff’s Office
An Ohio grand jury on Wednesday indicted a 29-year-old man accused ofreckless homicide in the death of a 14-year-old boyhe’s alleged to have buried on the farm where they had both worked.
During a press conference late Wednesday, prosecutors laid out the charges against Matthew Little, who remains in custody without bond.
Prosecutors referred to Little as a “friend” of teenage victim Jonathan Minard’s family while describing the boy’s death as “unintentional.”
Minard was reported missingon April 13.
For five days, investigators and volunteers searched for any sign of the teen. On April 19, the search ended at a Washington Township farm,where Minard was foundburied in a shallow grave.
The Carroll County Coroner determined Minard’s death was a homicide resulting from “acute fentanyl intoxication.”
Grand jurors moved to indict following two hours of testimony.
Matthew Little.Carrol County Sheriff’s Office
He has yet to enter pleas to the charges, and it was unclear if he had retained a lawyer who could comment on the allegations.
The indictments allege that Little allegedly provided Minard with a fentanyl-related compound, and, because the child was in his charge, he “created a risk of serious physical harm to the child resulting in his death.”
“Jonathan Minard’s death occurred as a result of being furnished with a fentanyl related compound that allegedly resulted in his death,” Carroll County Prosecutor Steve Barnett told reporters.
Barnett said Little, identified early as a person of interest, allegedly tried to conceal the boy’s death instead of calling the authorities to report it.
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Wednesday’s press conference did not address how Minard came in contact with the illicit drugs.
PEOPLE has been unable to reach relatives of both Little and Minard for comment.
source: people.com
