Father Allegedly Killed His 5-Year-Old Son After Planning the Attack for a Week: Police

An Iowa man is facing a murder charge after allegedly telling police he had plotted for several days before he strangled his young son last month.

Jack Matthew Schleier, 5, died on Oct. 29, according to his obituary.

His father, 45-year-old Matthew Schleier was arrested on a first-degree murder charge, The Gazette and The Kansas City Star report, citing court records and his initial court appearance.

Marion Police responded to reports of an unresponsive child in the Marion, Iowa, home around 6 a.m. on Oct. 29, according to police accounts and a criminal complaint cited by KCRG, The Gazette and KWWL.

Jack’s mother alleged to paramedics that the victim had been strangled by his father, per the complaint, according to reporting by KCRG, The Gazette and KWWL.

The child died after being transported to the hospital. He’d sustained bruises on his neck that were consistent with signs of strangulation, medical staff said, per the complaint.

During an interview with police, Mathew allegedly confessed to killing Jack and disclosed disturbing details about his planning, according to the complaint.

He allegedly said he’d thought of using a knife on the child. Police later found knives in the home that they consider evidence to substantiate the fact that the killing was premeditated, KCRG reports, citing the complaint.

Mathew allegedly said he had been contemplating for a week how to kill the child and, on the night of the killing, he stayed up most of the night thinking about how to kill him, per the complaint.

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It wasn’t clear if the child was asleep during the killing. A motive has not been shared by police. 

Mathew is being held on a $1 million cash-only bail, per KCRG, The Gazette and KWWL. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for this week. It wasn’t immediately clear if he has retained an attorney.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the child’s family.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.