Indiana Two-Year Old Killed by Mother's Boyfriend

Coming from a small community, when something tragic occurs, I tend to take it personally. I am very empathetic and feel the pain of those who have suffered a loss. Tonight, all the people in Kosciusko County, Indiana are mourning the senseless death of a precious and beautiful two-year-old named Samantha Muchowicz. Little Samantha was pronounced dead at 3:40 p.m. on May 25, 2007 at Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw, Indiana.

According to Kosciusko County police reports, Samantha's mother, Matara Muchowicz, left work early because she was ill. Upon arriving at her home, Matara discovered 34-year-old Ian Clark, her live-in boyfriend, lying on the couch with her bruised, naked daughter on his chest. Samantha was covered in blood and not breathing. Clark also had blood on his face and shirt. By the time police arrived to the scene, Matara was outside holding the lifeless body of her daughter. Attempts to resuscitate Samantha were unsuccessful.

The initial charge against Clark was felony battery. Five days later, the prosecutor upgraded the charge to felony battery causing death, a Class A felony that could get Clark 20 to 50 years. The change was a result of autopsy reports stating Samantha died from violent blunt force trauma. She also had a broken jaw and wrist. Clark claims Samantha simply fell and hit her head on the coffee table. Yet, police found blood throughout the house, along with a hole in the bathroom wall that contained Samantha's hair and blood inside. Other evidence obtained at the crime scene included bloody diapers and rags found near the coffee table.

Kosciusko County prosecutor Steve Hearn has refused to say whether Clark will face additional charges as he sits in jail with a $500,000 bond. The possibility of sexual abuse has not, as of yet, been ruled out or confirmed. Mark Mignery, Matara's father, told reporters it is his understanding that Samantha was black and blue from the injuries she sustained, much more than what would be typical after a fall. Mignery has also commented that he believed Clark to be a "loose cannon" and wants him to serve the maximum penalty for the murder of young Samantha.

Neighbors in the Ridinger Lake area where this incident occurred say that Clark had shown increasingly disturbing behavior that resulted in several calls to police. Concerns were expressed regarding Clark's temper and lifestyle, but charges were never filed based on those complaints. A comment posted on South Bend news channel web page states that Clark evaded criminal prosecution two years ago after being accused of battering a former girlfriend.

Another comment is claimed to be posted by Samantha's maternal grandmother. She states that while she was not fond of Clark, she accepted him because Matara was with him. The post also makes declares that Samantha's father John was not paying child support resulting in Matara's need to have Clark care for Samantha while she worked. Kosciusko County does provide day care assistance benefits to those who meet eligibility requirements; it is unknown why Samantha's mother did not utilize this service.

The only thing that Kosciusko County residents are certain of, at this point, is that the world has lost a gorgeous, loving child for an unexplainable and incomprehensible reason. While many have questioned how Matara could not see this coming, Clark is known for having a "likable" personality. However, all the charm in the world will not get him out of this, or bring little Samantha back to her family.

Samantha was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Warsaw, Indiana on May 30, 2007. She left behind her parents, John and Matara, as well as grandparents and siblings in both Indiana and Arizona. Her obituary states that Samantha's favorite aspects of life included dancing, singing, trains, and big trucks, like most two-year-olds. This very unfortunate incident has forever scarred Samantha's family and friends, along with the community surrounding her.

Addendum to this story (6/2/07): While I was in Warsaw today for a doctor's appointment, I decided I should go to the cemetery to pay my respects to little Samantha. The groundskeeper at Oakwood Cemetery has observed that many others have come for the same reason, even if they did not know Samantha or her family. I happened to spend a great deal of time with Samantha's father, aunt, and seven uncles when I was younger, but I've long since lost contact with them. We met when I was about the same age as Samantha.

The groundskeeper took my children and me to the section of the cemetery known as "Baby Land." It is a small section surrounded by bushes in the shape of a heart. Inside this heart are the graves of babies and other young children who have passed. Samantha's grave was covered with flowers and there was a pink four-foot high cross that had her name and dates of birth and death cut out.

When my five-year-old daughter asked me why we were there, I found myself at a loss for words. How do you explain to one so young that this child was brutally murdered before she could ride a bike without training wheels? My son, who is almost two himself, stared serenely at the miniature grave. Feelings I cannot describe tore through my soul and the reality hit me: beneath these beautiful flowers lies the tiny body of a baby girl who loved everything about life. She is said to have trusted everyone, like most children do. While we now see what kind of danger she was in, it is too late to go back and make things right. I cannot express enough how deeply I feel that Ian Clark should suffer a long, horrendous, and painful death for taking this child's life. No amount of suffering will ever be too much for the killer of this innocent baby who was not given the chance to fully experience life.