340-Pound Foster Mother Sentenced to Prison for Sitting On Her 10-Year-Old Foster Child, Causing His Death

An Indiana foster mother who made headlines last year for squashing her foster son to death by sitting on him has been sentenced to prison.

Jennifer Lee Wilson, 48, who weighed 340 pounds, killed 10-year-old Dakota Levi Stevens by sitting on him for “acting up.” Wilson pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and was sentenced to six years in prison.

On April 25th, 2024 police were called to Wilson’s Valparaiso home, where Stevens was found unresponsive. According to an affidavit, Wilson admitted to sitting on Stevens’s midsection for five minutes after he threatened to run away. Doorbell camera footage revealed Wilson lying across the boy’s neck and chest while he screamed. At one point, Wilson was heard asking, “Are you faking?” After realizing Stevens was unresponsive, she began CPR and called 911. He was airlifted to a children’s hospital but died two days later.

The autopsy concluded Stevens died from mechanical asphyxia, with organ damage and hemorrhaging. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Dakota had spent five years in multiple foster homes. A former foster parent, Hayden Hertzel, who had the child from 2019 10 2021, wrote a heartfelt tribute: “I hope you are up there dancing & singing… The system definitely failed you, my son.”

Wilson, who tried to justify her actions as an attempt to “calm him down,” now faces the consequences of her actions. Since it is classified as a Level 5 felony, she is required to serve 75% of the five-year sentence. Additionally, her foster home license was revoked by DCS on June 30th, 2024.