A 10-year-old foster child in Indiana died days after the morbidly obese woman he temporarily was living with allegedly sat on him until he no longer had a pulse. Officials said the boy pleaded with a neighbor to adopt him just 30 minutes before first responders arrived at the scene.
The heartbreaking tale begins more than five years ago when Dakota Levi Stevens and his sister were placed in the foster-care system because their parents were addicted to drugs. It seems that Dakota bounced around several foster-care placements during his young life. He also suffered from mental health and anxiety issues, according to a foster father who cared for Dakota from 2019 to 2021.
When Wilson saw that his eyelids were pale, she instructed one of her three children — all of whom were adopted out of foster care — to call 911.
In 2022, Dakota landed in the home of Jennifer Lee Wilson but later left. When Dakota began acting up at a foster home earlier this year, he was placed back into Wilson’s home for short-term respite care.
On April 25, Dakota, then 10 years old, fled the home that Wilson shared with her husband and three children in Valparaiso in northwestern Indiana. Dakota reportedly ran to a neighbor’s house and begged the woman there to adopt him because his foster parents were abusing him.
When Wilson discovered that the boy was missing, she drove around looking for him. She spotted him speaking with the neighbor. Initially, Dakota refused to get into Wilson’s car and asked the neighbor to call police, the neighbor claimed, adding that if the boy had injuries, she did not see them.
Wilson eventually coaxed Dakota into the car and suggested that the neighbor mind her own business. As soon as she and Dakota pulled into the driveway at home, though, Dakota’s behavior continued, and he insisted he would run away again.
What allegedly happened next cost Dakota his life.
Wilson later told police that she did not recall whether the two fell to the ground together or whether she tackled him, but at some point, Wilson reportedly pinned the boy down in full view of the front-door Ring camera.
At first, she reportedly held him down by laying across his neck and head area. She then allegedly held him down by the arm. Finally, Wilson — who stands less than 5 feet tall and tips the scales at 340 pounds — sat on the boy near his buttocks and remained there for six minutes and 48 seconds, Ring footage allegedly showed.
During this time, Wilson called Dakota’s caseworker with Children’s Protective Services, and at one point, she allegedly stated, “I was laying on him, and he was acting bad.”
Eventually, Dakota’s screams ceased, and after nearly seven minutes of sitting on the boy, Wilson discovered that Dakota apparently was no longer breathing.
“Are you faking?” she asked, according to court documents.
When Wilson saw that his eyelids were pale, she instructed one of her three children — all of whom were adopted out of foster care — to call 911. She also attempted CPR.
After not finding a pulse, first responders rushed Dakota to South Bend Memorial Hospital, where he died two days later. An autopsy revealed that he had suffered mechanical asphyxia, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
On Friday, the Porter County Prosecutor’s office announced that Wilson, 48, had been charged with reckless homicide, a level 5 felony that carries a sentence of up to six years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000.
Wilson was soon arrested and assessed a bond of $20,000. Jail records indicate that she is not currently in custody.
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