A Mount Airy, North Carolina couple will spend decades behind bars after pleading guilty to the torture and murder of their 4-year-old adopted son, who was found malnourished and restrained face-down on the floor with duct tape for several hours.

Joseph Paul Wilson, 45, a chiropractor, and his wife Jodi Ann Wilson, 42, entered guilty pleas on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Surry County Superior Court to second-degree murder, felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, and conspiracy to commit felony child abuse. District 17A Superior Judge Angela B. Puckett sentenced the pair to a combined term of 32 to 40 years in state prison.

According to the Surry County District Attorney’s Office, the Wilsons had adopted controversial disciplinary techniques from books on alternative parenting methods for adopted children. However, they escalated far beyond the recommended practices by using duct tape and prolonged physical restraint. The couple also subjected Skyler Wilson and his siblings to exorcisms at their home near the Virginia border.

The Fatal Incident on January 5, 2023

On that day, Jodi Wilson wrapped Skyler in a bedsheet and secured him face-down on the living room floor using duct tape for several hours. Joseph had purchased the duct tape and Ace bandages earlier that day specifically for restraining the child. When he returned home for lunch, Joseph saw his son restrained but did not release him and returned to work.

Later that afternoon, Jodi messaged her husband a photo of the boy still bound and wrote, “Hurry home, I think I have hurt him.” When Skyler was finally freed, it was clear he was severely injured and required immediate medical attention.

Joseph called 911, claiming the boy was having a seizure. Emergency responders found Skyler unresponsive and not breathing on his own. He was rushed to Brenner’s Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, where he died on January 9, 2023 — four days later — after being removed from life support. The official cause of death was hypoxic-ischemic brain injury due to prolonged physical restraint, complicated by malnutrition.

Investigation and Evidence

Search warrants and digital evidence, including home surveillance footage and messages, revealed a pattern of abuse. A former foster parent had filed a report with the Surry County Department of Social Services (DSS) in December 2022, expressing concerns about food restrictions, isolation, gating the children in rooms, and exorcisms. Following Skyler’s death, the other children in the home were placed in DSS custody.

The Wilsons were arrested days after Skyler’s death and faced murder charges. More than three years later, they accepted plea deals.

Broader Implications

This tragic case highlights serious failures in oversight of adoptive families and the dangers of unproven “alternative” parenting methods when taken to extremes. Skyler Wilson, a vulnerable child, suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of those entrusted with his care.

Sources:

New York Post (July 10, 2026)
Law&Crime, People Magazine, FOX8 WGHP, Mount Airy News, Surry County DA’s Office, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.