A lawyer for the mother of a boy found dead in a freezer this week has shared more about her reported claims that the child’s suspected killer, her boyfriend, had been holding her captive for an extended period of time.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, 4-year-old Mason Dominguez was discovered dead on Tuesday during an investigation prompted by a note sent to his sister’s school that morning. Mason’s mother, who authorities have not publicly identified, reportedly wrote in a note that she was being held captive by her boyfriend at their Las Vegas home and was worried about her son, sending the note to school with her elder daughter. After a teacher received the note, school staff contacted police, who went to the home and kept watch until the mother and her boyfriend pulled out of the driveway in a car.

Officers then pulled the couple over, and the woman reportedly claimed again that her boyfriend, Brandon Toseland, would not permit her to move freely, and that he had instructed her not to go into the garage of their Las Vegas home. 

Police later searched the home, and found Mason dead in a freezer in the garage. According to the Reno Courier Journal, the boy’s body had visible injuries.

Mason’s mother reportedly said she had not seen her son since early December, when Toseland allegedly locked Mason in a master bedroom after the child became ill. Authorities have not yet shared the boy’s suspected cause of death, but Toseland has been charged with murder and two counts of kidnapping.

As previously reported, law enforcement sources have said that many questions remain about the timeline and the circumstances of the boy’s death as well as his mother’s alleged captivity.

A lawyer for Mason’s mother told the Reno Courier Journal that “the mother was handcuffed, bound and/or locked up” at the residence. He also alleged that Toseland had taken over the woman’s social media accounts, and forced her to cut off contact with her family.

Facebook accounts appearing to belong to both Toseland and a woman believed to be Mason’s mother have posted photos of the couple since the date Mason’s mother reportedly said she last saw him. Toseland posted a smiling photo of the couple in late December; the same photo that was posted to the mother’s account in November. More recently, a photo of the couple appeared on the mother’s account in February. The two accounts are not in each other’s “friend” list.

The attorney, Stephen Stubbs, confirmed that Mason’s mother had been suddenly widowed last year and claimed Toseland, reportedly an acquaintance of her late husband, became controlling during the relationship that began last spring.

“Mr. Toseland proceeded to slowly and methodically exercise more and more control over the family, until they were trapped,” Stubbs said, adding that Mason’s mother was only allowed to sleep with her daughter two days before the boy’s body was found. During that time, she reportedly instructed her daughter on how to get help.

Through her lawyer, Mason’s mother called Toseland a “monster.”

Police told the news outlet that they are continuing to investigate the specific claims, and that they do not at this time believe that Mason’s mother was involved in his death.

CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is avaialble.

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