A tragic case in Valparaiso, Indiana, has left many shocked after a 10-year-old boy lost his life due to the actions of his foster mother, who weighed 340 pounds.
The woman, 48-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson, was sentenced in January to six years in prison, with one year suspended for probation, after pleading guilty to reckless homicide in the death of Dakota Levi Stevens.
The horrifying incident occurred on April 25 when police were called to Wilson’s home following a report of an unresponsive child.
When officers arrived, they found Dakota lying motionless with no pulse, showing bruising on his lower neck and chest.
Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, but despite resuscitation efforts, he was pronounced dead two days later.
According to police reports, the events leading up to Dakota’s death began when he ran away from home but was later found at a neighbor’s house and brought back.
Wilson claimed that after returning, the boy continued to misbehave, threw himself to the ground, and threatened to run away again.
She told authorities that in an attempt to restrain him, she either tackled him or fell on him but was uncertain which happened.
Wilson admitted to sitting on Dakota’s midsection for approximately five minutes. When he stopped moving, she assumed he was pretending.
She reportedly asked, “Are you faking?” before rolling him over and realizing something was terribly wrong. His eyelids had turned pale, and he was unresponsive. She then attempted CPR and called 911.
The medical examiner’s report revealed that Dakota suffered mechanical asphyxia, which resulted in organ and soft tissue damage, along with hemorrhaging in his liver and lungs. His death was ruled a homicide.
In the days before his tragic passing, Dakota had allegedly sought help from a neighbor. According to police, he ran to her house and asked if she could adopt him, claiming that his foster parents had hit him.
However, the neighbor did not see any visible injuries at the time. Wilson soon arrived at the home and took Dakota back.
At the time of his death, Dakota stood 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 91 pounds, while Wilson, his foster mother, was listed as 4 feet 11 inches and 340 pounds.
The case has drawn widespread outrage, with many questioning how a foster child in distress could have faced such a brutal fate in a home meant to protect him.
Source: newsandvibes.com
