A tragic story: 10-year-old Dakota Levi Stevens died just one month after being placed in foster care. His foster mother, 48-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson, faces reckless homicide charges in Michigan.
After Dakota ran away and was returned home, he misbehaved. Wilson responded by sitting on him for five minutes, pressing her 340-pound weight onto his 90-pound body while on the phone with his caseworker. Despite Dakota’s screams, she continued, believing he was pretending. When she rolled him over, his eyelids were pale.
Dakota was unresponsive when paramedics arrived and died two days later from mechanical asphyxia. Before the incident, Dakota had pleaded with a neighbor to adopt him and said his parents had hit him.
Wilson pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and was sentenced to six years in prison. Dakota, remembered for his love of the outdoors, deserved so much more. Children in foster care need better protection, and Dakota’s story must be told. Rest in peace, Dakota.
