2 Gastonia women face child abuse charges after toddler found dead in Asheville hotel

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Two Gastonia women are facing murder and child abuse charges for the death of a 3-year-old boy, police said.

Chantrarica Nasha Matthews, 29, and her mother, Inga Torrence Matthews, 50, are in the Buncombe County jail, according to Asheville police.

Police said the boy was found dead and malnourished inside a room at the Rodeway Inn in Asheville on Monday. The women charged are his mother and grandmother and they were found in the room with him, officers said.

Investigators said the pair had been living at the hotel intermittently for some time.

The hotel manager said the child’s mother, Chantraica Matthews, and grandmother, Inga Matthews, lived there for six months.

“They never gave me any problems,” manager Marc Rosenbalm said. “They seemed to be a caring loving family.”

That was until the Matthews stopped paying the hotel’s daily rate and didn’t leave, the manager said.

He said they failed to pay and refused to leave.

He called Asheville Police and officers say they found the child dead.

The Matthews have a house on Cricket Lane outside of Gastonia. Neighbors, disturbed after hearing the news about the child, said they saw the family come and go on several occasions.

“It’s heartbreaking. Devastating,” resident Lisa Lunsford said.

“It just breaks my heart every time something tragic happens to them, and this is definitely tragic,” resident Joe Berta said.

Some neighbors said they recently saw the women at the house but not the child. The family kept to themselves, Berta said.

“Never once have I seen a child out in the yard anywhere,” Berta said.

The women were each charged with first-degree murder, felony child abuse and concealment of death.

They are each being held on a $95,000 bond for the child abuse and death concealment charges, but were not given a bond for the murder charge.

Anyone with information about the case can send an anonymous tip by texting TIP2APD to 847411, or use the TIP2APD smartphone app. You can also share information by calling 828-252-1110.

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