Background: A section of the 300 block of G Street in Lakeview, Oregon (Google Maps). Inset: Thomas Scott Strong (Desert Rose Funeral Chapel).
A woman and man in Oregon have learned their fates after her 17-year-old son was found dead with "extensive injuries" in a cardboard box in the family's garage.
Amanda Edwards, 40, was sentenced this week to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years after being convicted of murder by abuse, second-degree abuse of a corpse, and first-degree criminal mistreatment in the death of Thomas Strong, the Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) announced. Nathan Cullins, 33, was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 35 years for first-degree murder, second-degree abuse of a corpse, and first-degree criminal mistreatment.
The sentences come after both defendants entered into plea deals with prosecutors, regional CBS affiliate KOIN reported.
Cullins and Edwards "were longtime romantic partners," the agency said, and they lived with the victim in Lakeview, Oregon. The small city is located in the south of the state, nearly 350 miles south of Portland.
Strong was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, but when he was 2 years old, his family moved to Texas, staying for 10 years before relocating to Lakeview in Oregon. "Lakeview was a community that took him in and loved his happy presence," Strong's obituary states.
He was a student at Lakeview High school, where he "enjoyed school" and "had friends that looked out for him." Strong, who had autism, "enjoyed art class and loved drawing" and cooking class.
In November 2024, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) "began receiving reports raising concerns about abuse and neglect of the victim after Edwards abruptly pulled him out of Lakeview High School," ODOJ recounted. "Over the following weeks, both ODHS and the school repeatedly tried to coordinate services with Edwards, who pushed back at every turn."
"A community of people who cared deeply for Lucas—including teachers, concerned citizens, and his own grandfather—begged [ODHS] to take meaningful action," a report from Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) states. The Portland-based nonprofit organization noted that "Lucas" was a pseudonym, with the area TV station confirming the report was about Strong.
"They saw the warning signs," DRO added of the community around Strong. "They sounded the alarm. They did everything right. DHS did very little."
The report contends that between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17 of 2024, ODHS "ignores urgent reports" from the school's principal, teachers, and school resource officer regarding the teen's "concerning weight loss and life-threatening conditions at home."
"When Lucas was observed on the morning of December 12, he was still sleeping at 9 AM and had dark circles under his eyes," the report states. The home — fashioned with blackout curtains — reportedly had "bags of trash everywhere" and there was a rifle "with a full sleeve of ammunition" aimed at the front door.
Though ODHS began investigating in the ensuing few days, the nonprofit found that it only made "limited contact" with Strong and limited its action to "one remote meeting." The organization believes he died alone on or around Feb. 1, 2025.
Eleven days later, Strong's grandfather reported Edwards' "substance abuse" and "ongoing work absence," the report goes on. On Feb. 18, 2025, ODHS obtained a child protective custody order from Lake County Circuit Court.
"While serving that order at the defendants' residence, officials discovered the victim's body in a cardboard box in the family's garage," ODOJ stated. "An autopsy found the victim had suffered extensive injuries from long-term abuse and ultimately died of blunt force trauma."
Furthermore, during the investigation, "law enforcement uncovered video footage of the abuse that the defendants had recorded themselves," ODOJ added.
When the defendants were sentenced, Strong's other family members and the Lake County community "remembered him as a vibrant young person who cared deeply about everyone around him," per ODOJ. "They recalled the green paper ties he made for others, how he pulled his red wagon around Lakeview, and how he made friends wherever he went."
Strong would have graduated from high school this year.
Law&Crime reached out to ODHS for comment on the report and sentences.
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