Support truly
independent journalism
An Indiana foster mom was arrested on a homicide charge after she allegedly caused the death of a 10-year-old boy by laying on top of him.
Police apprehended Jennifer Wilson in Michigan on July 12 after authorities in Indiana had issued a warrant for her arrest, court records show. Authorities found her after license plate readers detected her vehicle in the nearby midwestern state, Berrien County Sheriff’s Office said.
She faces one count of reckless homicide connected to the death of 10-year-old Dakota Stevens, who died in April, court filings show.
Officers responded to a call about an emergency medical event in Valparaiso, Indiana on April 25, noting that the child had bruises on his lower neck and chest area, NBC5 reported at the time.
The boy was taken to a hospital, where a CT scan revealed that he had swelling on his brain that could “be consistent with being deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time,” according to filings obtained by the outlet. He died two days later.
Dakota and Wilson, who had been caring for the child for just a month, had reportedly gotten into a disagreement, during which the boy threatened to run away. Wilson then drove down the street looking for him. She found him and told him to get into the car, according to court documents.
When they returned home, he refused to get out of the car and insisted he was going to leave. That’s when Wilson allegedly lay on Dakota’s midsection and called his caseworker, the filing show.
She guessed she had lain on him for five minutes, despite his 20-seconds of screaming and noticing that his eyelids were turning pale, the outlet reported. After some time, she repeatedly yelled “Dakota!” but he was not responsive, prompting her to ask one of her other children to call 911.
An autopsy revealed that Dakota died of mechanical asphyxia, determining the manner of death was homicide. Court records show Wilson is 4 ft-11in and weighs 340 pounds (more than 24 stone or 154kg). Dakota weighed 91 pounds, the IndyStar reported. He had spent the previous five years in different foster homes, the outlet noted.
Dakota’s former foster parent Hayden Hertzel posted a tribute to the 10-year-old on Facebook on April 30: “Thank you for the laughs, the cries, the sleepless nights, the endless memories.. your excitement & passion for anything that you did & put your mind too AMAZED me.”
Hertzel added: “I hope you are up there dancing & singing & eating all of the chicken nuggets & pizza that you can ever imagine. Along with all of the sweets you loved to eat down here!”
“You’re free … The system definitely failed you my son… until we meet again… I love you, I love you, I love you!!!” the touching post read.
Dakota loved reading, singing and dancing and “marched to the beat of his own drum. He absolutely loved the outdoors. Many insects and frogs were caught by him on his bug hunting expeditions. He had a love for Sharks and believed he would discover a new species, Legos, where he could build anything, Minecraft, his Pokmon cards, and his Tablet,” his obituary read.
“His smile could light up any room he walked into and he truly had a huge heart. To know him was to Love him,” the obituary read.
