Man accused of murdering 4-year-old

INDIANAPOLIS - A man who police said hogtied and fatally beat his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son for sucking his thumb is being held on a charge of murder.\nChristopher Montgomery was arrested Saturday, a day after the death of Elijah Simpson. The child’s mother, Courtney Simpson, who initially told police the boy’s 5-year-old brother had tied him with a shoelace, was arrested on a charge of neglect of a dependent.\nMontgomery and Simpson were arrested after an autopsy showed 4-year-old Elijah Simpson died from a fractured skull. Both were being held Saturday night in the Marion County Jail.\nThe boy was already dead when his mother took him to an Indianapolis hospital Friday, police said. Doctors contacted police after finding marks on Elijahs wrists and ankles that indicated he had been restrained.\nFollowing the autopsy, Simpson told police Montgomery had injured the boy earlier Friday while disciplining him for sucking his thumb. She said Montgomery struck the child in the head and then used a drawstring from a hooded sweat shirt to restrain him.\nChild Protective Services took the other boy into protective custody.