VALPARAISO, Ind. (Gray News) – A woman in Indiana was sentenced in the death of her 10-year-old foster son.
On Friday, 48-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson was sentenced to six years in prison, with one year suspended to be served on probation in connection to the death of Dakota Stevens in April 2024.
Wilson previously pleaded guilty to the charge of reckless homicide in October 2024.
In April, officers were called to a residence for a 10-year-old boy who was not breathing and who turned out to have no pulse, CBS News reported.
An officer found that the boy had bruising on his lower neck and chest. Police tried to resuscitate the boy, but he was taken to hospital where he later died.
On the scene, Wilson told police that Dakota was her son, and he had just run away from the house. Witnesses said Stevens reportedly ran to a neighbor’s house and asked them to adopt him.
After police noted bruising on Stevens’ neck and chest at the scene of the crime, Wilson admitted to lying on top of the boy for five minutes for “acting bad.”
Dakota stood 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 90 pounds, while Wilson stood 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 340 pounds, NBC Chicago reported.
The cause of death for Dakota was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, and the manner a homicide, the affidavit said.
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