Ten-year-old boy dies after foster mother sits on his neck as punishment, killer gets 6 years in jail

In Michigan, United States, a 10-year-old child was crushed to death when his foster mother sat on his head and neck as punishment for “acting bad,” till he stopped moving. The child’s killer, his foster mother, was charged with reckless homicide and has been sentenced to six years in prison, with one year suspended probation.

What happened?

On April 25, 2024, Dakota Levi Stevens, a 10-year-old child, died after his foster mother, 48-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson, sat on him as a punishment for him “acting bad”. 

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Wilson admitted to laying on top of her ward and in a home ring camera footage of the incident, she can be heard saying “I was laying on him, and he was acting bad”.

As per reports, 30 minutes before emergency vehicles reached their home, the young boy, Dakota, ran to a neighbour’s house asking her to adopt him and claimed that his foster parents hit him in the face. 

Wilson brought Dakota home, but claimed that he was “acting bad” and that she was trying to stop him from leaving. As per a Fox5Atlanta report, she told police that “he does not know if she tackled Dakota, or they fell to the ground, however her intention was to hold him”.

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The woman, who, as per reports, weighs over 150kg, sat on the young boy for around five minutes and only got off him after he stopped moving. When she rolled Dakota over, she noticed that his eyelids were pale, so she began to administer CPR.

Another foster child reportedly called emergency services. However, emergency personnel were unable to resuscitate the young boy. He was found with bruising on his neck and chest and died two days after the incident. It was subsequently revealed that he died of mechanical asphyxia. A CT scan at the hospital showed severe swelling in Dakota’s brain, which could be consistent with being deprived of oxygen for an extended time.

(With inputs from agencies)