A 340-pound foster mom in Indiana has pleaded guilty to killing her 10-year-old foster child after she sat on him for several minutes after he asked a neighbor to call 911 because he was being abused. According to court records, Jennifer Lee Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of reckless homicide in the death of young Dakota Stevens.
Wilson faces up to six years in a state correctional facility and a maximum fine of $10,000. It was previously reported by Law and Crime that deputies with the Porter County Sheriffs Office responded to a call regarding an unresponsive 10-year-old at a home in the 200 block of Falcon Way around 3:37 pm on April 25, 2024.
The outlet reported that once deputies had arrived, they discovered the boy, identified as Dakota Stevens, lying on the ground outside near the house’s driveway. A report by police indicated that someone was administering CPR to the boy who was not conscious, not breathing, and had no pulse.
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First responders noted in a report that Stevens also appeared to have visible bruising to his lower back and chest. Deputies took over administering CPR until medical personnel arrived who rushed the boy to the hospital. It was reported that Stevens died two days later.
During an autopsy, it was noted that how the boy died was a homicide and that the cause of death had been due to severe swelling in the brain and being deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time. The coroner also noted that the boy had suffered organ damage as well as hemorrhaging of the liver and lungs.
Police stated that during their interview with Wilson, the woman became visibly distraught. It was then that Wilson explained that Stevens had been acting out all day and that at one point, he had refused to do his chores and left the house. The woman went on to explain that she later found the boy talking with another woman who told the mother that he had asked her to call the police.
Wilson reportedly told the woman to “mind her own business” and was able to get the boy in the car and drive home. An affidavit stated that once the pair got back to the house, Stevens initially refused to get out of the car before proclaiming that he was leaving.
Wilson stated that when she attempted to stop him from leaving, she does not know if she tackled Dakota or they fell to the ground however her intention was to hold him, the court filing stated. According to police, the entire confrontation was caught on the home’s Ring doorbell camera and showed Wilson laid on (Dakotas) midsection” near the area of his head and neck.
The footage initially showed Stevens fighting his foster mom, however as the seven-minute clip continues, Stevens is seen lying motionless as Wilson continues to sit atop him. Police say that when Wilson realized that her foster son was not conscious, she could be heard yelling his name before stating I was laying on him and he was acting bad.
Authorities reported that Wilson was 4 foot 11 inches and weighed 340 pounds while Stevens was 4 foot 10 inches tall and weighed only 90 pounds. Wilson is scheduled to appear in court for her sentencing hearing on Jan. 17, 2025.