A criminal complaint alleges that a mother knew her boyfriend killed her daughter but failed to report the crime to the authorities.
The case revolves around Sydney Durham, who was 2 years old when she died in 2019. The child’s mother, Monique Durham, and her boyfriend, Matthew Chiles, are now facing charges related to the death.
A criminal complaint released by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office has revealed some of the information surrounding the child’s death. The complaint states Chiles abused Sydney Durham and her twin sister.
The investigation started in February 2022 during a wellness check on the family. During that visit, Monique Durham allegedly told her surviving daughter to hide and tried to get in the way of the investigation. She apparently told the police that she had given up custody of Sydney Durham and had her go live with relatives in North Carolina.
But authorities say that police soon determined that this was a lie.
Police investigators finally caught up with Monique Durham and Chiles in late July. They were no longer living at their home in Perth Amboy or another in Edison. They were found at the Relax Inn in Metuchen/
The complaint states Monique Durham at that point 'indicated that Mr. Chiles murdered her daughter on June 8, 2019.”
"Ms. Durham watched Chiles walk out of the residence with Sydney's body in his arms,” the complaint states. “Mr. Chiles returned without Sydney's body but told her it would be better if she didn't know where he had hidden her."
Another child of Chiles also lived in the home at the time of the crime. That child told police that Sydney Durham was killed in the basement. The child also stated that the next morning the children were told that Sydney Durham "was adopted during the overnight hours and would not be returning home. From that day on they were forbidden to mention Sydney's name."
Chiles has been charged with murder and abuse. Monique Durham was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for not reporting the death, as well as the abuse of her surviving daughter.
Monique has been released from jail and is on home detention. She is not allowed to see her surviving daughter unless she is supervised.