Vigil held for 4-year-old boy, man wanted for questioning in custody

BUTLER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man wanted for questioning in connection to the death of a 4-year-old boy in Butler Township was taken into custody Wednesday, Channel 11's Amy Marcinkiewicz has learned.

Police said they had been looking for Jordan Lambing, who is the boyfriend of the boy’s mother and is considered a person of interest. He was found hiding out with his mother, Marcinkiewicz reported.

Lambing and the boy’s mother had been staying at the Super 8 Motel in Butler with their new baby at the time of the boy’s death.

“He was watching the child. The mother had gone to work that morning and he was watching the child,” Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said Wednesday at a news conference.

RAW VIDEO: News conference on search for man after death of 4-year-old

Family told Channel 11 News that the loss of Bentley Miller doesn’t seem real. According to police sources, he suffered substantial injuries to his body, including cuts and bruises.

Miller’s death has been ruled a homicide, officials said Wednesday.

The motel’s general manager said the couple paid daily rates.

“They’ve been here a couple of days,” Anna Lepore Conte, the motel general manager, said. “Didn’t seem like there was a problem. The kids seemed fine.”

Investigators were at the motel looking for evidence Tuesday evening.

“It’s awful that anything like this could happen. If we had any idea of something, we would have called (police) immediately,” Conte said.

Goldinger said Lambing called his mother because the boy was in need of medical attention.

According to Butler Township police, Lambing’s mother was taking the boy to the hospital when he stopped breathing. She pulled into the parking lot of the credit union on Hanson Avenue and called 911. Police performed CPR on the boy, but he later died at the hospital.

“It’s unbelievable anyone could do anything to a child,” a friend of Lambing’s said.

Goldinger said the boy’s mother has been interviewed and is not believed to be responsible for her son’s death.

Dozens turned out for a vigil held Wednesday night to honor the boy. Those in attendance lit candles and laid down stuffed animals in Bentley's memory.

“Nobody deserves this. Nobody,” said Tara Smith, a relative of the family who attended the vigil.

Cox Media Group