Mother accused of killing four-year-old son by setting him on fire in bathtub

A witness told police they heard the boy shouting “Please mommy stop” the night before the body was found.

Amelia DiStasio had been charged with murdering her four-yea-old son Antonio (WTMJ-TV)

A woman has been charged with killing her four-year-old son by setting fire to him in a bathtub in their apartment.

The body of the boy was found by fire crews with his hands tied behind his back and a bin bag over his head.

Amelia DiStasio from Milwaukee faces a charge of first-degree intentional homicide following her arrest by police.

According to court documents, authorities were called to reports of smoke coming from her apartment.

There the emergency services found her son Antonio’s burned and lifeless body in the bath.

His hands had been bound behind his back with several belts and a plastic bin bag over his head.

An open bottle of cooking oil was also in the bathroom.

As reported by WTMJ-TV Milwaukee, the night before the fire a neighbour heard the child say, 'Please mommy, stop! I won't do it again!' She also heard DiStasio yell, “Shut up!”

At the time of the fire, a witness told police she saw the suspect climb out the window and run away.

Police later found her walking down the street.

Investigators also reportedly found searches on DiStasio's phone for “ways to kill cannibals”.