Genesee County man sentenced to life in 2022 killing of 16 month-old son

A Mount Morris Township man was sentenced to life behind bars in connection with the death of his 16-month-old son who was found in a ditch in 2022, the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday.

Michael Christopher Butler, 41, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. In February, Butler was convicted of felony murder, first-degree child abuse, concealing the death of an individual and aggravated domestic violence after his son was found dead in a ditch in the summer of 2022, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 25, 2022, a woman witnessed a man, later identified as Butler, get out of his vehicle and place something in a ditch near her home on Dodge Road, according to the investigation and testimony at trial. The woman walked across the street to the ditch and found a blue blanket with a head sticking out and called 911, prosecutors said.

Police found "a small body wrapped inside the blanket, which was later identified as Butler’s son, Chaos," prosecutors said. Investigators believed Chaos had been dead for several weeks when his body was discovered, according to the release.

An autopsy showed Chaos had suffered skull fractures that "likely occurred around the time of hisdeath, other fractures to his skull and ribs that had healed, and methamphetamine and cannabisin his system," prosecutors said.

"This was a tragic and sad case and this morning’s sentence is a just conclusion under the law for the actions of Michael Butler," said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.