Cops Unlock Mom's Phone, Uncover Horrifying Secret

Hello, my daughter's not breathing. I like put my hand under her nose,

but she's breathing now.

Children don't just die.

No.

Whatever happened here is wrong.

Sad things.

Whether it was an overdose, whether she suffocated, if she was shaken to death, strangled, whatever happened to her, we're going to find out. I did not hurt my daughter, and you're not happened to her, we're gonna find out.

So we'll leave. I did not hurt my daughter,

and you're not gonna sit here and tell me I did.

When a two-year-old girl is found unresponsive, investigators must determine whether she suffered a heartbreaking accident or something far worse. But the horrifying truth emerges in text messages shared between a killer

and the man accused of encouraging her to do the unthinkable.

Ah!

Ah! Ah!

The following is based on official police records and the footage has never been seen before until now. Please note that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. On the early afternoon of November 7th, 2024,

dispatchers in Sturgis Township, Michigan receive a phone call from a mother in distress.

Central County 911, what is your emergency?

Hello, my daughter's not breathing.

Okay, we're getting everybody headed that way. Just stand and follow me, okay? How old is your daughter?

I am 23 years old.

Okay, are you right by her now? Okay, listen carefully. I need you to lay her flat on her back on the ground and remove anything under from underneath of her head and

Kneel next to her and look in the mouth for any food or vomit, okay?

Okay

Is there anything in the mouth?

No Okay. Is there anything in the mouth? No.

Okay, now place your hand on her forehead and your other hand under her neck

and I need you to carefully tilt her head back, okay?

Octavia, wake up.

Okay, just stay with me, okay? There's a deputy that's right there. He knows how to do CPR and he can help too, but I need you to start, but we need to do this for me, okay? So can you tilt her head back

and then put your ear next to her mouth?

Okay.

Okay, can you feel or hear any breathing at all?

No.

Okay, so two breaths for me.

Okay.

Did you feel the air going in and out?

Yeah, I did.

Yes, okay.

There's an officer here now.

A deputy with the St. Joseph Sheriff's Office races into the home and finds two-year-old Octavia Pearl Boney lying on the living room couch. He performs CPR until paramedics arrive.

They're still working, but I had an AED, there was no shock. When I originally touched her, she felt warm. She was turning blue in a lot of places places though. And I started doing CPR. And I like, when I picked her up off the couch, put her on the ground, I noticed her foot, like her lower leg was cold.

And she was starting to get like a rit of mortis in her arm.

The toddler's mother, 21 year old Paige Nicole Boney, waits outside as paramedics work relentlessly to save her daughter's life. Press, press, press, press, press, press.

Do you feel any pain?

Press, press, press, press. Are you having depression?

Press, press, press, press.

Nearly 45 minutes pass as family and neighbors watch in stunned silence.

1337, doc. Okay, 1337.

Good.

Despite their best efforts, two-year-old Octavia is deceased. A deputy stands nearby as a paramedic delivers the heartbreaking news to the toddler's mother, Paige.

Paige, we did push medication that could help. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like it helped and the doctor gave me a time of death of about 1337 to this one, about 136.

We did have a...

Today, Paige, okay? And I'm so sorry for you. and this one is 136. You did have a...

Today, Paige, okay? And I'm so sorry for you.

In the wake of this shocking tragedy, the child's grandmother searches for answers.

What caused her to not breathe or whatever?

Unfortunately, I'm here to not see that, to figure that out, unfortunately, since we did find her pulseless and apathetic, as we call it not breathing. So unfortunately I can't give you a answer on why. Will there be an autopsy or something to review?

No you cannot. While Paige's request is understandable the deputy's firm refusal may stem from what he learned when he first arrived at the scene.

Uncle saying hour and a half, two hours ago, mom was slapping the out of her because she wasn't listening. So, I mean, it's gonna be potential homicide.

But investigators are still a long way from understanding what caused young Octavia's death. And the truth is far worse than they could have ever imagined. While crime scene technicians move in to examine the home, Paige and her uncle Chris are brought in

for an interview with detectives. They are each Mirandized and both agree to questioning. Chris explains that Paige, Fred, and two-year-old Octavia just recently moved in after they were kicked out of her parents' house.

Who's Fred? That is Paige's boyfriend.

According to Chris, all three have been staying in the living room. Paige and her boyfriend, 31-year-old Frederick Lee Nelson, sleep on an air mattress, while Octavia sleeps on the small couch where she was found unresponsive.

Chris lays out the morning's timeline, stating he dropped Fred off at work around 5.30 AM. And then went home, laid down for a couple hours, and then got up and got to school. The girl's on the bus. After that, I went back home with the best and heard some commotion out in the living room

and Paige spanking her butt.

At any point in the morning, did you give, you have spanked it? No, I didn't. Okay did you yell at her? Maybe

raise my voice a little bit to get her to chill out cuz yeah. What was the first thing

that you heard? She just told Paige not to say no and I heard her pop on the butt. Okay

what I mean what it sound like? Just a you know. This morning she was telling me no and stuff, but like, she always does that.

Yeah.

What was she saying no to?

She, I told her to go back to sleep, or I was trying to get her back to sleep because it was still so early. She was saying no, she didn't want to go back to sleep.

Right.

Okay. So how many times did you hear her say spank? Oh, just once. just one spank. And, but you heard crying for an hour after that? Oh no, no, no.

The crying was about 10 minutes, maybe 10 minutes. Okay. And after that, it was quiet for about an hour.

Though Page denies spanking Octavia, it's difficult to see how that alone could have led to the child's death. According to Chris, after this incident, he received a call from his nine-year-old daughter's school, and he had to leave to pick her up. Octavia appeared to be asleep on the couch when he left and returned with his daughter,

but didn't check on her as he made his way back to his bedroom.

I was in there for probably 20 minutes, come knocked on the door, and I was thinking, you know, something's up with the baby,

because usually you hear her, and then she's up, and there was nothing, so we walked out and checked her. The nine-year-old was the first to notice that something seemed off with Octavia.

She was just laying down, and then when my dad lifted up the blanket,

she wasn't moving at all.

So you were inside when all this happened then?

Yeah, I put my hand on her nose and my foot was coming out.

I just started shaking. She almost had a seizure, but I was fine. And she was standing right

beside me when I was like, you know, she didn't look right, the color didn't look right when I went to lean her over. Yeah. And what position was, when you first saw her? She was laying, like, on her belly, and her hands here, and her face like this.

Okay.

And what about the blanket? The blanket was over her head.

Was over her head?

Like, yeah, this way. Okay.

Paige tells detectives she was in the bathroom

when Chris began calling out for her. He hollered my name and then my cousin came back.

She knocked on the door. I was using the toilet. So I hurried up and got off the toilet

and ran out there to see what was the matter. And what was the matter? She wasn't breathing.

She's always a happy, smiling baby.

And I just freaked out. What happened? Me, I just freaked out. What happened? Me, I just walked out the door.

Okay.

Because why?

Because there's a dead baby on the couch.

Yeah.

Okay.

In an effort to rule out accidental causes, investigators consider the possibility that two-year-old Octavia may have ingested something dangerous.

With Paige and Fred, do you have any suspicions old Octavia may have ingested something dangerous. and allow her to go to bed. Okay. Any medications in the house? No. She takes melatonin to help her sleep, but she only gets two at night.

Okay. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle and is sold over the counter in products formulated for children. However, the Sleep Foundation notes

that melatonin supplements are not recommended for children under five years of age.

It usually works for her pretty good. Yeah, because she likes to fight her sleep, too.

Does she?

Yeah, all the time.

Has that been something that she's always done, or is that just...

Yeah.

...because of the terrible twos?

That's always been a her thing.

Yeah.

Tell me about Octavia.

What kind of child was she? Always smiling. Yeah. How often do you hear Paige disciplining Octavia? A few times a day probably. Okay. What is it typically for? Usually telling her no or Malvin or being a kid. They do that at that what she to. So how does Paige handle having to try and keep her in line when she's waking up. She loses her cool sometimes, but she just walks off. I mean, I've never seen nothing alarming. So what do you think happened?

I wonder, because she likes to lay on her stomach, I know that. I wonder if she like had her face down on a blanket or something.

Yeah.

That's the only thing I can think of.

If Paige is implying the toddler accidentally suffocated, the detective's next question points to a flaw in her logic.

How many times has she slept on that couch?

Several times.

Several times?

Because you guys have been there for a week and a half?

Yeah, about a week and a half. And this is the only place that she's ever slept?

Yeah.

Okay.

And she typically sleeps in that same way. Every night, that's how she always slept. Yeah.

Given that Octavia has slept safely on the same couch multiple times before, it seems unlikely she suddenly suffocated on it this morning. It's clear there's far more to the story than they're being led to believe. As the toddler's body is removed from the crime scene, her grandparents make a heartfelt plea.

Can I kiss the dirty?

Yeah, it's all right. Can I kiss the dirty?

You can not, sorry.

Sleep, right?

You feel, cause you're a little sore, I guess.

You're gonna go for an esophagy.

Once she's done with that,

she'll be raised back to a plant-free base.

Love you, baby girl.

You know, it's that bull that they can't see

or some bull-crap.

Yeah. There was nothing wrong with that child. Absolutely nothing. While investigators have yet to determine exactly what happened to Octavia, or who may be to blame, the child's grandfather shares deep concerns about Paige and her boyfriend.

She was living in Battle Creek

with a Fred Nelson feller.

Oh, they're looking for him.

Yes, sorry, I said.

They're looking for him.

Sure.

No, they're looking for him.

He's at their finding a boyfriend. Yeah. Well, last night, supposedly he picked her up and beat.

I did came from one source, more than one source.

Picked her up and beat. I tell you right now, neither one of my daughter or Fred, I won't cover for my daughter. She should she shouldn't have a child. I love my daughter to death, so you know what? I'm very, very disappointed in her and her life choices.

The toddler's grandparents weren't the only ones to express their concerns about Paige and Fred's parenting. Investigators learned after speaking with Octavia's Aunt Tabitha that Fred is not her biological father.

My husband, we're divorced now.

His stepbrother is dead. Okay, and what's his name? biological father. to give her over to us, she never would. She's lived with us 90% of the time her whole life.

Yeah.

Yeah. Okay.

Why was that?

Because Paige doesn't take care of her.

Okay. Paige doesn't take care of her other kid either. She doesn't have her other kid either.

Okay.

We've raised our grandson

because my daughter didn't want to help. Which we just should have kept her too.

I shouldn't say that.

Got a little baby.

So full of spirit.

Perfectly healthy.

Smart.

Whatever happened here is wrong.

Flat.

So would you consider Paige a good mom?

No.

Okay. Like, I just talked to Paige's mom today before I left. She says, I'm sorry I love my daughter to death, but she's not a mom. That's why we have, which is her other son, Paige's son.

What would you tell someone who said that you were,

would say that you're a terrible mother?

I wouldn't do it.

Why is that?

Because it's none of their business. I take care of my kids,

and they're supposed to be taken care of. They shouldn't worry about their own parenting.

When Chris was asked about Paige's parenting, he gave the detective an interesting response.

What type of a parent would you consider her to be? If you'd like to phone, if you'd like to sit on the phone. Did you pay attention to your daughter at all?

Yes, I pay attention to her. You do? Every time we would get active, she'd have blistering diaper rashes, like bleeding diaper rashes. Doesn't have shoes, doesn't have pants. She's small, she's tiny for being two years old.

She acts like she, when she comes to us, she acts like she's not, like doesn't eat right, because when she eats, like for us, she eats, she doesn't ever stop eating. So we have to like cut her off a bunch because if not, she won't ever stop eating. She would get cold sores on her lip, like cold sores. And I would say, I've never, I've had five kids,

I've never seen my kids have sores like that on their lips.

While these concerns paint a deeply disturbing picture, they do little to explain what happened to Octavia. As Paige's interview continues, the detective pushes her to be honest, turning her own words against her.

Kids just don't die.

Obviously.

Right? And you've said yourself that she slept on that couch for a week and a half in the same position, didn't die.

So what is different now? What happened? I don't know no that's what we're all trying to figure out right then we need people to be honest about it because when we find out what happened to her when she has an autopsy tomorrow morning and we find whatever the pathologist is going to find and you're going to tell

us that nothing happened,

it's gonna be a different story. I'm not saying anything didn't happen. I'm saying we're trying to figure out what happened to her.

So what did happen?

But given the chance to revise her story, Paige simply repeats that Octavia was lying on her stomach and must've tucked her head into her blanket.

So do you think she suffocated? That's the only thing I can think of. Did you suffocate her? No. blanket. Someone hurt her. I did not hurt my daughter and you're not going to sit here and tell me I did. This is dumb.

Like why would I lie?

No, it's not dumb. It's very suspicious.

Why is it dumb?

What happened to your daughter? What happened to her? Children don't just die.

No.

Right. So tell me what happened.

With no answers from Paige, the detective presents a theory of his own.

Did you give her a little bit too much melatonin?

No, she only gets two every night.

She woke up today, and you wanted her to go back to sleep. I didn't give her any.

She wouldn't. She said no. I didn't give her any melatonin today.

Because part of the autopsy is toxicology. And they're gonna find out what's in her stomach. And I mean, they're gonna find out what happened.

I know.

Whether it was an overdose, whether she suffocated, if she was shaken to death, strangled, whatever happened to her, we're gonna find out.

Meanwhile, Octavia's aunt Tabitha shares her own theory.

Someone either hurt her or she got into drugs. Does Paige use drugs? I know she like smokes weed. Other than that, I don't know. The most happiest, like obviously being under, taken care of by the people she lives with,

she was the happiest little girl, and she'd always smile, always happy, no matter what,

but I don't understand how, why somebody could do this.

Paige's family shared similar sentiments.

I mean, I wish she could have seen a smile.

Right.

That's the first thing I thought of

as soon as they told me. Yeah. That smile lit up every room she went to. And she was never an unhappy baby.

Right.

No, and she ate so much food. All she did was eat.

That's all she was doing was eat.

I mean, she was the happiest thing in the world.

You could get a lot more people that she would want instead of that baby.

Yeah.

But exactly what happened to her is still up to Paige to explain. And what she admits next is downright chilling.

I did hold her down for a minute just so she would stay still. But it wasn't for very long. I just wanted her to go to sleep.

As horrifying as this admission may be, it offers only a glimpse of the nightmare investigators would later piece together about Octavia's final moments.

Are you ready to tell me what, like the real story now?

Yeah.

Okay, like from the beginning.

She woke up and laid there and watched her TV for a little bit. When she started crying, I just made her lay down and held her there for a little bit and then when she started crying I just made her lay down and held her for a second. I thought it would be fine. I held her like right here and like like right here. Okay. So she would lay down and stop moving until she goes to sleep. So if, obviously this is not her size, but if this was her back and her head is here, show me what you're talking about.

Her head here?

Yeah.

Okay, so like right like this.

Okay. So you were just basically like, this is her neck and her upper back?

Yeah, just like holding her down.

Just holding her down?

So she would go to sleep.

Okay, and then...

Because she likes to kick around and stuff when she's going to sleep and I don't want her to kick herself off the damn couch.

Sure. Okay.

And you think that it was about a minute that you held her like that?

Yeah, not even that.

Okay. And what was happening at that time that you were doing that to her?

She was just still crying like she always does.

And then at what point did she stop crying?

Um... It was like... it was like not long before I let go. Maybe like...

Like five... five to 10 seconds.

Did you try to wake her up?

No, because I thought she was just sleeping.

The detective takes a break, stepping out to contact the technicians that are still collecting evidence at the crime scene. What they tell him adds a chilling new layer to Paige's story.

There's more that happened than what you told me, okay? Because I just got off the phone with some of my evidence technicians at the house and they told me about some things that I'm very concerned about things that you forgot maybe to tell me about maybe that happened yeah did? What do you mean?

Did you throw her?

No, I would never throw her. Did you push her?

No, I didn't push her.

All right, well, there's something that happened to her that caused a dent in drywall that has her hair in it.

What? Yeah.

Photographs reveal the hole found in the living room wall, partially obscured by a vacuum cleaner, which was the same approximate height as two-year-old Octavia. According to police records, a white substance was also found in the toddler's hair,

which could have been drywall.

What do you mean drywall?

Like whatever this wall is made of, whatever the wall that you have in that trailer, there's a vent from a child's head with her hair still in the dent. Her face is bruised. Why did I hit her on the wall? Then tell me what happened. I did tell you. But how

how did how do you explain that?

I did not hit her face on a wall. Did she hit it herself? She could have. She had fallen off the couch that morning. Like I said, she's always rolling off.

So she did fall off the couch that morning?

Yeah, she fell off the couch.

Okay. Falling from the couch, however, wouldn't explain the three foot tall crack in the living room wall. Despite the mounting evidence, Paige refuses to explain what happened,

leaving the detective with no choice but to wait for the toddler's autopsy.

I'm gonna tell you right now that you're under arrest

for the murder of your daughter.

I didn't murder her.

Okay, well, she is manslaughter. Okay, so she died because of what happened. Okay. You go ahead and stand up.

Can I call somebody?

As soon as you get back to the jail, I'll go help you and give you all that stuff.

Investigator sees Paige's phone and contact her boyfriend, Fred, for the passcode. He agrees to try to get it from Paige and the two speak in a recorded jail call. According to police records, Fred asked her during this call if she deleted the messages between them,

mentioning one particular message that might not look good. She shares her passcode during the call, which investigators used to unlock her phone. What they find is unspeakable. Nine months later, on August 15th, 2025, Page is re-interviewed under a proffer agreement,

which allows a suspect to provide information to investigators with limited protections, often in hopes of leniency or a plea deal. During this interview, the detective confronts Page with the discoveries.

At 8.59, Fred asks you, W-I-D, right, what you doing? You said, trying to sleep, but I can't because of her. Then you say, I'm a up, I'm pissed, bro. I'm a hurt her. When you say, I'm done with this,

Fred responds, do it, Peter. You say, I did. And even prior to that, there was a recording that you made of her crying.

The recording, which she sent to Fred at 6.17am on the morning of Octavia's death, is beyond

heartbreaking. -' -' -' -' -'

Honestly, when he told me to do that, I just... Our relationship was kind of rocky. He would threaten to hit me upside the head with alcohol bottles

and all sorts of stuff. So I just lied and said I did, otherwise it would, yeah.

Okay, let's stop for a second. Jordan, your client understands that if she's not truthful in her testimony, that this deal is completely gone. There's the potential for a trial and and conviction, more serious charges. Do you need a few minutes to talk to her about...

If I could, yeah.

When the interview resumes, the detective continues reading the text messages aloud.

So at 6.02 in the morning, on November 7th of 24, he texts,

When I tell her to go to sleep, she just cries. He says, stupid.

Is the cover still over her? Yeah.

And this is you. Yeah. She keeps taking it off, too, every time I put it back over her. She cries loud as a bitch. Fred says, put something in her mouth. You say, okay. Did you put anything in her mouth? No. Okay. And then he says, and put the cover in the couch tight. I didn't do that either. Okay. So this, this, I mean, again, we're just starting out with this conversation, but this is happening at, again, starting at 602 in the morning. So shortly after you said he left for work, this is the conversation that you're having. These type of messages, is that something

that would be typical between the two of you?

For him.

Okay, what do you mean by that?

He was just aggressive toward both of us.

The detective ignores Paige's claim, not allowing her any control over the interview. Instead, he focuses on one particularly concerning message. wasn't that he was telling you to get to her. He was talking about melatonin,

but I lied and said I did,

because if I didn't, he would freak out.

Okay.

He says, let me know. I love you, get some rest. And then you respond, can't, because won't shut up.

According to Octavia's autopsy report, the two-year-old had a high level of melatonin in her system. But as Paige continued texting Fred, sending TikTok videos she found while scrolling, she kept returning to the same frustration.

The toddler would not fall asleep.

And then you say, this is her right now, by the way, and this is where you have that recording of the crime. And just to clarify, when you say, this is her, who are you talking about?

You're talking about her.

And then he says, man, beat her in the face, that stupid ass bitch. Put her face in the couch or wrap her up in that big cover so I put something in her mouth, F-R, F-R. And then he says, if I was there, I'd be her up, F-R, F-R.

Detectives would later question Fred about these text messages. According to a summary of his interview, Fred wrote off the messages claiming it was, quote, all a figure of speech, and explained that what he was actually encouraging Paige

to do was swaddle Octavia in the blanket like a newborn baby. His messages to Paige were deleted from his phone, which he told investigators was not intentional.

I ain't dealing with no one. I got enough going on in my head. I wish someone would give me a reason to let my anger out. You remember saying that?

No.

According to police records, bloodstains were found on multiple pillows, as well as both couches in the living room. In one text message, Paige wrote, "'She keeps making her nose bleed "'because she wanna keep moving around

"'shoving her face in the couch. "'She's obviously retarded.'"

This goes on for hours, this conversation you have with Fred back and forth. With me reading this to you have with Fred back and forth. With me reading this to you, is it starting to spark a little bit of your memory?

No.

Okay.

Though she doesn't seem to remember, the detective reads one message aloud that no one in the room is likely to forget.

I'm gonna fuck her up, I'm gonna piss her off, I'm gonna hurt her, I'm done with it. He says, do it, beat her. And then you say, I did. I did it.

But Octavia's autopsy tells a different story. According to the medical examiner's report, the toddler had bruising and marks on the right side of her face and ear. There were also marks on her neck consistent with force being applied to it.

The two-year-old's cause of death was officially ruled to be mechanical asphyxiation and smothering. Paige's dark brown hair was found clutched tightly in the young girl's hand. Still, Paige refuses to admit what she's done, forcing the detective to end the interview.

Two months later, she returns to read a written statement that promises to shed more light on the morning of Octavia's murder, but it opens with a revelation about her now ex-boyfriend, Fred.

There was a time in our apartment, my sister was with me and I, we were having intercourse and I asked him to stop and he wouldn't and he told me to shut the up and stop moving and just continued on. We got in an argument one night,

he woke up because of it, I got her back to sleep, but he was shaking me around in the bathroom trying to get my phone and my vape because he was drunk and. Oh, now what he thought accusing me of cheating, which I was not.

My mom told me there was bruising on my face at the funeral and my memory was blocked out because I remember him hitting her in the mouth that morning and I asked him to stop, but he wouldn't, he wouldn't listen.

How was he hitting her?

In the mouth.

Open hand, closed hand?

Open.

Open hand.

Did you see him do that?

Yeah, and I asked him to stop, but he wouldn't listen.

During his interview, Fred denied striking the child in the mouth before leaving for work that morning or at any other point in time. Who else was around to see that?

Just me.

And you don't know why all of a sudden

you wanna bring that up?

I didn't remember until just recently.

The detective doesn't justify this with a response of any kind.

He's aggressive and emotionally and mentally abusive. He threatened to hit me with alcohol bottles and I'm scared of him. No, is that it? And I did not do anything in the text that he sent that morning. I just lied because of, I know how he is and his aggression and I didn't want to deal with that anymore. And when we were living in Battle Creek, I ended up pregnant by him.

I had an abortion because I didn't want to put a kid through any of that.

Okay, so you were scared of him, and that's why when he was telling you to do certain things through text messages, you responded that you did do those things,

but you really didn't.

No.

And you told him that because you were scared

of what he might do to you.

The detective reminds Paige that she already admitted to holding her daughter down by the neck in her first interview.

I didn't do what I said in my statement that night. I don't know why I said that.

I was not in

a right state of mind at all. But Paige, what you told me you did happened. Because that's how I died. That's how it was proven in an autopsy. So we know that happened. We don't get to dance around that anymore. If you can come here today and say, oh, you remember if Fred did this or told you that,

but you can't remember what you did, yeah?

Because I didn't.

I've got no other questions.

You don't believe me, that's all right, because God knows.

According to court documents, in July of 2025, Paige Nicole Boni accepted a plea deal, pleading no contest to first-degree child abuse I was. According to court documents, in July of 2025, Paige Nicole Bonny accepted a plea deal pleading no contest to first degree child abuse and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation or suffocation.

Two additional charges, including homicide, open murder, and conspiracy to commit child abuse in the first degree were each dismissed as part of the plea deal. She was sentenced to 18 years and nine months to 45 years in prison, along with a second sentence of four years and nine months

to 10 years to be served concurrently. Frederick Lee Nelson was later arrested and charged with one count of homicide felony murder by aiding, assisting, or abetting, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of assault by strangulation

by aiding, assisting, or abetting, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of assault by strangulation by aiding, assisting, or abetting, as well as a third offense, habitual offender enhancement. as well as a third offense, habitual offender enhancement. His case is currently set to go to trial in April of 2026.