In a cruel bit of punishment, a 10-year-old boy in the United States (US) was crushed to death after his 154kg foster mum sat on him for “acting bad”.
According to Fox News, 48-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson — the foster mum in question — was sentenced to six years in prison.
Source: Fox News
On 25 April 2024, police arrived at a home in Indiana and found Dakota Levi Stevens unconscious. Bruises were also found on the boy’s lower neck and chest.
One of the officers attempted to resuscitate the boy but he was declared dead after conveyance to a nearby hospital.
His foster mum told police that Dakota had just run away from home — he was later found at a neighbour’s house.
After bringing him home, she said he began “acting bad”, throwing himself on the ground and declaring that he was going to leave.
To punish the boy for his tantrum, the woman sat on the boy’s chest. She did so for several minutes until the boy eventually stopped moving.
Dakota reportedly weighed 41kg while his foster mum weighed 154kg.
“Are you faking?” she asked, believing he was trying to trick her. However, upon rolling him over, she saw that his eyes had gone pale.
She then contacted emergency services.
Two days later, Dakota was declared dead at South Bend Memorial Hospital. His official cause of death was revealed to be mechanical asphyxia and the manner of death was homicide.
Source: Geisen Funeral Home
The 10-year-old also suffered organ and soft tissue damage, liver and lung haemorrhaging, and other injuries.
According to witness testimony, Dakota had run to his neighbour’s home to beg her to adopt him. The neighbour said Dakota had told her that his parents hit him in the face.
However, the neighbour also said that she did not see any signs of injury on the boy.
In Jan 2025, Jennifer Lee Wilson was convicted of the crime. She was sentenced to six years in prison, with one year suspended to be served on probation.
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Featured image adapted from Fox News and Geisen Funeral Home.