Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, a 50-year-old mother residing in Pennsylvania’s Horsham Township, was taken into police custody last week, charged with first- and third-degree murder concerning her 11-year-old son Matthew Whitehead.
According to prosecutors, DiRienzo-Whitehead allegedly strangled her son in a tragic and deadly attempt to prevent him from facing their family’s financial struggles.
The incident happened on Tuesday morning last week when police found Matthew Whitehead passed away in the master bedroom. An autopsy showed that the cause of death was ligature strangulation, confirming the presence of ligature marks on both the front and back of the boy’s neck. In addition, facial swelling and petechiae on his eyes were noted.
When Daniel Whitehead, Matthew’s father, awoke from sleep at 7 AM, he found the bedroom door securely locked. After entering the room, he located his son lying lifelessly on the bed. He checked the garage and noticed their black Toyota Highlander was gone, and he immediately alerted the police afterward.
The vehicle was ditched in the Atlantic Ocean in Cape May, New Jersey, more than 120 miles from the family’s home. Police confirmed that a black dress belt was found inside the SUV. DiRienzo-Whitehead is suspected to have abandoned the car in the sea and then walked toward the town of Wildwood Crest near the area.
At around 3:30 AM on Wednesday, police spotted a woman resembling DiRienzo-Whitehead, dressed in tattered pajamas and appearing confused and disheveled. Upon being identified, she reportedly uttered, “I know what I did”, an obvious reference to her crime.