Travis J Lewton: Ohio man brutally kills mom, 71, and stuffs body into sewage pipe before setting it ablaze
Warning: This article contains graphic content that could be traumatic for some readers. Discretion is advised
TOLEDO, OHIO: In a shocking incident, a 31-year-old Ohio man admitted to horrifically killing his mother, 71, by choking her to death after she arrived home from work on Friday, September 30. Travis J Lewton, reportedly told authorities that he had been contemplating killing Nancy Lewton for a week before the incident.
According to The Sun, Travis subsequently admitted to taking "her body down in the ravine behind his house, stuffing her in a sewer pipe, and setting her on fire." On Saturday, October 1, the police were called in response to a report of a safety check for a person at a residence in the 1800 block of Wildwood Rd in Toledo. They discovered Nancy's body in a wooded area behind the house. Soon after Travis was arrested and charged with brutal and planned murder.
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According to the police, the victim had recently visited Florida and when her family couldn't reach her when she returned from Florida, they asked the police to check on her welfare. During their investigation, police claim to have found a burnt area behind the garage.
Furthermore, Travis' neighbors said that he had been troublesome since he was a little child. Ray and Cynthia Wagner, who have been long-term residents on the same block as Travis, spoke with 13 ABC about the family. "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," Ray Wagner said.
The victim, they claim, was a kind woman who adored her son. Neighbors stated that Travis' abusive nature towards his mother wasn't unusual. They told 13 ABC that he has attempted to break into the house before and has had many 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. 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," Cynthia Wagner said. Travis will allegedly be sentenced in Toledo Municipal Court on Monday, October 3, according to WTOL.
This latest homicide brings the city's total to 46 for the year 2022. Toledo police chief George Kral stated that the Toledo Police Department has been concentrating on initiatives like Operation Triple Beam and yearly gang sweeps to eradicate homicide and other crimes in the city. "We're going to continue with partnering up with federal and state and local partners to keep pressure on shooters, but we'll take a look at what worked well and what didn't and try to build on it for next year," Kral said.