SURRY COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A couple who were charged with murder after the death of their adopted son in 2023 have received a new indictment from a grand jury. On Oct. 9, 2024, a grand jury indictment was handed down to Jodi and Joseph Wilson for charges of felony child abuse inflicting serious injury. According to court documents, these do not appear to be superseding indictments. Jodi and Joseph Wilson were charged, and subsequently indicted, in Jan. 2023 for one count of murder each after the death of their adopted 4-year-old son, Skyler Wilson. Background Skyler Wilson was hospitalized suffering from a hypoxic brain injury, which happens with a restriction that prevents oxygen to the brain. The doctor, who had previously spoken with Joseph Wilson, told the detective that his brain injuries were consistent with "too much restriction" used during this so-called "swaddling" technique. Swaddling is a technique used to comfort and help babies sleep with a blanket wrapped snuggly around the baby's body. Rolling over while swaddled has been correlated to an increased likelihood of SIDS deaths, and swaddling is not encouraged for an infant that is old enough to roll over on its own. He was in the hospital from Jan. 5 until he died on Jan. 9. Restraint methods allegedly used at Trails Carolina point to link between troubled teen industry, discredited ‘attachment therapy’ Documents indicate they'll be in court for these charges on Jan. 13, 2025, two years after they were first charged. Timeline Dec. 7, 2023: Skyler Wilson's former foster mother talked to a care worker with the Surry County Department of Social Services, worried for the safety of the children. She filed a formal report about her concerns. Jan. 5, 2023: Joseph Wilson got a text from his wife that there was a "problem" with "swaddling" Skyler, warrants say. She also allegedly sent a picture of the 4-year-old wrapped in a sheet or a blanket, face-down on the Wilsons' living room floor with duct tape attaching him to the floor. He was subsequently taken to the hospital. Jan. 6, 2023: The Department of Social Services contacted the sheriff's office about the case. Jan. 9, 2023: Skyler Wilson died in the hospital from a hypoxic brain injury. Jan. 11, 2023: A detective interviewed a former foster parent of Skyler and his brother, who "advised that Jodi Wilson had told her about the 'pouching,' swaddling, food restriction, refusal of [Skyler's brother] to walk by himself, the gating of Skyler in a room for excessive 'alone' time, and the exorcisms of both children." Jan. 13, 2023: Joseph and Jodi Wilson were charged with Skyler Wilson's murder and taken into custody with no bond. Their three biological children and Skyler's brother were taken into custody by social services. Jan. 23, 2023: Joseph and Jodi Wilson were indicted by a grand jury for one count of murder. April 4, 2023: Judge bars release of photos, autopsy reports or videos associated with Skyler Wilson's case out of concern it could impact the Wilsons' right to a fair trial. Oct. 9, 2024: A grand jury indicted the Wilsons for felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injuries. Warrants The warrant does not provide additional details on the "exorcisms" alleged by the former foster parent, but investigators indicated that they were looking for a search history involving exorcisms on the Wilson's seized devices. Another search warrant described an interview with a coworker of Joseph Wilson who said that he would watch cameras installed in his home from work and had used his work Google calendar to schedule "pouching" for the children. Skyler Wilson and his brother were placed with Jodi and Joseph Wilson in Sept. 2021, and the Wilsons had "fostered" three children prior to the two boys. While searching the home, investigators said they observed "wrist and ankle support strap/braces" and cameras in a tote in the basement of the home. Joseph Wilson told an SBI agent and a detective that the straps were for restraining the child during swaddling, and that Jodi Wilson took the cameras down and potentially removed SD cards from them during the "incident" with Skyler Wilson. The Wilsons' home was searched a second time, looking specifically for the SD cards in the cameras. They list the following items: Three white surveillance-type cameras Mueller sport wraps Handwritten documents USB drives Books SD card from Wii Notebooks & binder Cameras containing SD cards 3 tablets from a playroom Dell Optiplex 7020 tower with power cord Hitachi laptop Jodi and Joseph Wilson (Surry County Sheriff's Office) Reactions Skyler's former foster mother described him as a social butterfly with a big heart. "He was so tiny and small but had a heart three times bigger than he was," she said. "I want to love unconditionally and remember his smile and the little things." His speech therapist said that she was shocked at what happened, noting he had been making big strides. Surry County neighbors react to murder of 4-year-old "He had been improving so much, and even if a child did have certain behaviors, there's still no need for something that drastic at all," she said. "That's why it's so heartbreaking and confusing." "They were always a phone call away. They were always a visit away, so it was good until it wasn't," Skyler's former foster mother said Tuesday. "I want justice to be served." Nancy Thomas The Wilsons allegedly told officials that they were following parenting advice from Nancy Thomas, a self-described “professional therapeutic parent” who has no formal licensure in the care of children. When reached for comment on the death of Skyler Wilson, Nancy Thomas said, "I am shocked and saddened to hear the sad news of this little one passing away. Since I have no knowledge of the incident, I am unable to give a comment. I am willing to assist law enforcement if they have any questions." However, court documents indicate that a witness told them that "Wilson had recorded Zoom counseling sessions with Nancy Thomas." According to a January 2023 archive of Thomas’s website, “Nancy Thomas is not a doctor, psychiatrist or therapist. She is an amazing mom who has, through years of search, study and experience, found solutions to parenting challenging children.” Thomas learned from one of the first true promoters of this therapy style, known as attachment therapy, Dr. Foster Cline and CJ Cooil, also known as Connell Watkins, who was imprisoned following the death of North Carolina girl Candace Newmaker during a “rebirthing ceremony” meant to treat the girl’s alleged attachment disorder. Following Cooil’s imprisonment, Thomas thanked her in the acknowledgments of one of her books, writing that Cooil had “retired.” Attachment therapy Attachment therapy should not be confused with attachment theory, a development psychology theory emphasizing the importance of children having an emotional bond with their caregivers, according to Simply Psychology. GOLDEN, CO – APRIL 20: Grandparents of Candace Newmaker, David and … Thomas claims to treat “reactive attachment disorder,” or "RAD," with her parenting advice. She and other proponents of attachment therapy often mischaracterize “reactive attachment disorder” or use the much more vague term “attachment disorder.” Reactive attachment disorder is a very rare but real condition that can develop in young children who experience severe neglect. It is characterized in the DSM-5, the standard manual on mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the U.S., as an overly withdrawn child who does not seek out comfort or appropriately respond to distress. This disorder becomes symptomatic in children from 9 months to 5 years.  Thomas defines attachment disorder in her book as “the condition in which individuals have difficulty forming lasting relationships. They often show nearly a complete lack of ability to be genuinely affectionate with others. They typically fail to develop a conscience and do not learn to trust. They do not allow people to be in control of them due to this trust issue. They do not think and feel like a normal person.”  Psychiatrist who fueled 1980s ‘Satanic panic’ dead at 83; moral panic’s impacts linger in North Carolina She claims in her book that violent historical figures like Adolf Hitler or Ted Bundy had “attachment disorder,” depicting children suffering from this “disorder” as master manipulators, regardless of age and ability, who behave well outside of the home while tormenting parents inside of it. She describes children “manipulating” parents and expressing a need to “be in control.”  One of the treatments that Thomas and her peers promote is called "holding therapy." "Holding therapy" involves one or more people physically restraining a child to draw an emotional response from them under the belief that this will make the child more pliable to the parent or therapist. In her book, Thomas recommends placing alarms on their child’s door so parents know when they’re coming or going in the night. She defines behaviors like mumbling, talking excessively, asking “why” when faced with instruction from a parent, asking “dumb” questions or whining as attachment disorder behaviors that must be trained out of a child. “In the beginning, your child should learn to ask for everything. They must ask to go to the bathroom, to get a drink of water, EVERYTHING. When it starts to feel like they must ask to breathe, you are on the right track,” Thomas writes in “When Love Is Not Enough.” One of Thomas’s online workshops included this warning from the host: “PLEASE NOTE: Some of the strategies outlined in this workshop may be considered inhumane and unethical by many child protective agencies and can result in an investigation and loss of foster care license,” according to Advocates for Children in Therapy, a nonprofit that archives critiques of attachment therapy and its practitioners.  Thomas writes in her book, “Holding therapy has been documented by research to be highly effective,” despite the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children disavowing the practice. APSAC, in a report published in the wake of multiple high-profile cases that involved attachment therapy, went into detail on the spurious nature of attachment therapy and its treatments, saying, “Controversial attachment therapies are viewed by many in the mainstream professional and research communities as presenting a significant physical and psychological risk to children with little evidence of therapeutic benefit.” Attachment therapy culture In her writing, Thomas stokes the idea that no one outside of the home will understand, adding an isolating aspect to the process. An almost cultic milieu has emerged around the practices with guidelines for parents who are using attachment therapy techniques on how to handle and avoid “critics.” 2 lawsuits filed against Trails Carolina, parent companies for deceptive advertising, mistreatment of campers Thomas writes that parents who believe their child has attachment issues should not use any therapist who wishes to speak to the child without the parents present, alleging that the child will manipulate the therapist if the parent isn’t there to “tell the truth.” She additionally warns that children with these attachment disorders will falsely accuse their parents of abuse to officials. She also provides parents and guardians with a form letter to hand out to friends and relatives explaining that they will be out of contact due to this therapy and preemptively defending the tactics that will be used on their child. Proponents encourage limiting external support to only those immersed in the attachment therapy community or supportive of it. Thomas promotes attachment therapy-friendly therapists on her website, and there are Facebook groups for attachment therapy parents to reassure one another. The public Facebook group of a North Carolina-based nonprofit posted in the wake of Skyler Wilson’s death, “If they asked me to testify as an expert witness in complex trauma and attachment disorders such as reactive attachment disorder, I would do so for free.” The post concluded, “Before these parents are ‘burned at the cross’ our families want more information.” In posts on this page, the nonprofit encourages parents to share the difficulties of raising their “RAD” child, and commenters describe children being manipulative, behaving poorly when alone with parents but well outside of the home and doctors prescribing children medicine that the parents do not believe the child needs. Relevance  In addition to Thomas being cited by name, the acts described in search warrants and the complaint connected to the death of Skyler Wilson matched many of Thomas’s recommendations and practices: restraints, surveillance devices, allegations of food deprivation and even paranormal superstition.  In her book, Thomas states, “Most of the children I have had in my home have shared with me that before they arrived they either did not believe in God, hated Him or worshiped the devil.” A child psychiatrist wrote in his book “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog” that holding therapy has connections to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. Parents and guardians convinced that their children were recalling repressed memories of Satanic rituals used holding therapy to illicit “disclosures.”