Mother, boyfriend charged with murder of Delaware County toddler

A Delaware County mother and her boyfriend are facing murder charges in the death of her 2-year-old son.

30-year-old Shannon Matthews and her boyfriend, 31-year-old Daniel Grafton, are both charged with multiple counts in the death of Matthews' son, Mason Hunt.

Mason died on February 3 after Grafton carried him into a doctor's office unconscious.

Norwood police and paramedics were called to the scene on the 400 block of Chester Pike in Norwood.

There, they found the boy cold to the touch and unresponsive.

He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Officials say the toddler had bruises all over his body.

Matthews told authorities that she left Grafton to care for the boy while she went to work at 10:45 that morning at a doctor's office located beneath her apartment.

She said she returned to the apartment for a few minutes to drop off snacks for her son and Grafton told her Mason was in the bath tub.

An hour later, Grafton rushed into the doctor's office carrying the unconscious boy and screaming that the baby was not breathing.

Investigators say Grafton confirmed that he took the snacks from Matthews and placed them on the kitchen table.

He also added that Matthews peeked in on Mason in the tub before returning to work. He says he then went into the bathroom and found Mason face down in the tub.

The pair were arraigned Friday morning and remain in custody without bail.