Tonight on The True Crime Pod - a horrifying case that challenges everything we know about parental love. When a three-year-old boy was found dead in his Michigan home, investigators would uncover a sinister plot between a mother and her boyfriend - a plan so twisted, it would shake an entire community to its core.

*Content Warning* This episode contains descriptions of child abuse and death that listeners may find disturbing.

Welcome to The True Crime Pod. Before we begin tonight's episode, I want to remind our listeners that every child deserves safety, protection, and love. What you're about to hear is a tragic story that occurred in February two thousand and eighteen.

In St. Clair County, Michigan, three-year-old Matthew Maison lived with his mother, Amanda, who was twenty-six years old at the time. From the outside, they seemed like any other small-town family. Amanda had recently begun dating Maurice Houle, who was twenty-one years old, and he had started spending more time at their home. But behind closed doors, a sinister situation was developing.

What investigators would later discover sends chills down the spine - the couple had allegedly formulated a plan, not out of sudden rage or negligence, but with a calculated purpose: to eliminate young Matthew to, in their words, 'make room' for a child they planned to have together.

The abuse Matthew endured was systematic and escalating. The little boy was subjected to timeout sessions where he was forced to kneel for hours. He was locked in his room without food or water. But perhaps most disturbing was what investigators would later reveal about the couple's actions in the days leading up to Matthew's death.

The turning point in this investigation came when both suspects began pointing fingers at each other. Amanda Maison finally broke her silence, revealing years of lies she had told to police, Child Protective Services, and even medical professionals. She admitted to avoiding taking Matthew to doctors, fearing they would discover his injuries.

The autopsy would reveal the brutal truth - Matthew died from blunt force trauma and possible suffocation. The evidence painted a horrific picture of abuse: head trauma so severe it damaged the drywall, and multiple instances of suffocation disguised as 'play.'

In a shocking twist that adds another layer to this tragic story, this wasn't the first time the Maison family name had been connected to the death of a child. Amanda's brother and sister-in-law had been convicted in two thousand and eighteen for the death of their own five-year-old daughter in two thousand and fifteen.

Today, both Amanda Maison, now thirty-three years old, and Maurice Houle, twenty-eight years old, face first-degree murder charges. They've been denied bond, with Houle facing additional charges for resisting arrest, reportedly fighting with eight different officers during his apprehension.

As we close tonight's episode, I want to remind our listeners that child abuse is preventable. If you suspect a child is in danger, please contact your local authorities or the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD. Your call could save a life.

Thank you for listening to The True Crime Pod. Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and visit our website at thetruecrimepod.com for more information about this case and others we've covered. Stay safe, and we'll see you next time.