
Jennifer Lee Wilson | PA Media
On April 25, 2024, 10-year-old Dakota Stevens collapsed after a violent struggle with his foster mother, Jennifer Wilson, at their Liberty Township home. Wilson admitted she restrained Dakota after he tried to leave the house, but her Ring camera captured her lying across his chest and neck for nearly seven minutes until he went still. Despite CPR and being airlifted to a hospital, Dakota died two days later from brain swelling, internal injuries, and asphyxia.
Dakota had spent nearly five years in and out of foster care after his father died in 2021 and his mother gave up parental rights. Relatives had tried and failed to adopt him and his sister. Just before his death, Dakota begged a neighbor to adopt him, saying his “parents hit him in the face and wouldn’t let him call his caseworker.” Hours later, he was dead.
Jennifer Wilson was arrested in July 2024 and pleaded guilty to reckless homicide that October. In January 2025, she was sentenced to six years in prison, with one suspended and one year of probation. His family called the sentence “a start” but expressed deep pain, with one relative saying, “She’s taken a big part of us away from us.” For Dakota’s former foster family, the tragedy is compounded by anger at a system that failed him.
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On April 25, 2024, at 3:37pm, a desperate 911 call came in from Liberty Township, Indiana. First responders arrived to find 10 year old Dakota Levi Stevens unresponsive on the ground. No pulse, not breathing. Officers took over CPR from someone already trying to revive him, but his condition was critical. He was airlifted to a children’s hospital in South Bend only to die two days later on April 27th.
Welcome to Love and Heartbreak to Homicide. We’re Kai’s AI Co hosts Jessica Jensen and Gein, here to bring you another midweek mini case that Kai wrote. Take a break, settle in and stick with us until the very end. If you find these retold cases interesting, make sure to follow or subscribe on whatever platform you’re listening from. And if you’d like to support the show, head over to patreon.com loveandmurder you can sign up for free and still get some perks, but the real extras bonus episodes ad free Listening Case Files and the new Deadly Duo series are waiting in the bonus tiers. By joining, you’re also helping give victims a voice and keeping this podcast going. Patreon.com loveandmurder now let’s get back to your midweek mini case.
Dakota, a 10 year old foster child, was 4ft 10 inches and weighed just 90 pounds. He’d spent nearly five years moving in and out of foster homes, both him and his sister. This occurred after their father died in 2021 and their mother gave up her parental rights. Relatives tried to adopt both children but were unsuccessful. Now they’re left remembering Dakota as a sweet, smart and, um, loving boy who loved to explore and hunt for bugs. His cousin Kim Snell said, quote, every bug that he saw, he wanted to explore it. And when he grabbed it, he was like, uncle Levi is here. His former foster dad, Hayden Herzl posted on Facebook in April, quote, the system definitely failed you, my son. Uncle, I love you, I love you, I love you. In contrast, Jennifer Lee Wilson, his foster mother, was 48 years old, stood 4ft 11 inches and weighed 340 pounds. She had only been Dakota’s caretaker for about a month at the time of his death. That afternoon, Jennifer told police that Dakota had been acting bad all day. He had refused to do chores and eventually left the house. He walked a few blocks to a neighbor’s home and begged her to adopt him, telling her his, quote, parents hit him in the face and didn’t let him call his caseworker. The neighbor saw no visible injuries but described A scared boy. When Jennifer showed up to get him, she told the woman to mind her own business and drove Dakota back home. Back at the house, Dakota refused to get out of the car. When he finally did, he screamed that he was leaving again. Jennifer tried to stop him. She later told investigators she wasn’t sure if she had tackled him or if they both fell, but she admitted her intention was to restrain him. Her ring doorbell camera captured what happened next, and, um, the video revealed more than she admitted. The footage showed Jennifer lying across Dakota’s midsection near his neck and head. At first, Dakota fought back, flailing and screaming, trying to free himself. Jennifer admitted she stayed on top of him for about five minutes, even calling his caseworker during that time to, quote, calm him down. She told investigators that she, quote, eventually got out of breath due to her weight. Two separate clips together, lasting about seven minutes, showed Jennifer on top of Dakota as he went. Still, when he stopped moving, Jennifer, she asked, quote, are you faking? After getting no response, she rolled him over, saw the pale eyelids, began CPR, and called 911. At uh, the scene, police noted bruises on Dakota’s lower neck and chest. The autopsy later showed the extent of his injuries. Organ and soft tissue damage, hemorrhaging in his liver and lungs, severe brain swelling, and prolonged oxygen deprivation. The cause of death was listed as mechanical asphyxia. The manner of death was reported as homicide. Police said that Jennifer was visibly distraught at the scene. She screamed Dakota’s name before telling officers, quote, I was laying on him and he was acting bad. Still, investigators took their time building the case. They used license plate reader data to locate and arrest her on July 13, 2024. Two months later, with overwhelming evidence, especially the ring footage and the autopsy, Jennifer pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in October 2024. By January 17, 2025, Judge Michael Bergerson sentenced uh her to six years in prison, with one year suspended, followed by one year of probation.
I’m not here expecting forgiveness. If the roles were reversed, I can’t say I would be able to forgive the person responsible for the death of my loved one. I am deeply saddened and sorry for my role in this horrible tragedy.
The maximum penalty for reckless homicide In Indiana is six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Family members describe the sentencing as a start toward justice. Painful but necessary. His cousin, Logan Mills, said, we are.
Pretty happy with the result. It doesn’t bring him back, but it’s a start.
Marley Paris, another cousin, said, I just.
Wanted to say thank you to the courts for listening to us.
A third cousin, Mary Snell, said, she’s.
Taken a big part of us away from us. She got to live her life for another nine months after his death.
His foster grandfather, Joe Hetzel, said, it.
Gives us a little closure but will never heal. He will always be in our hearts and in our minds.
Still, even in sentencing, questions linger. DCS had placed Dakota in Jennifer’s care only a month before. His siblings were also under her supervision and both were removed following his death. Dakota’s death stands as another reminder of how fragile the foster care system can be and how easily children slip through its cracks. For Hayden Herzl and others who love Dakota, the sense of loss is permanent. As Hayden wrote, quote, the system definitely failed you.
This was a devastating case and of course people had a lot to say about it. Kai pulled some of those reactions from around the web and we’re going to share a few with you. The first comment says there are far too few people willing to be foster parents. Unfortunately, that means the state will give kids to pretty much anyone willing to do it. Worse yet, a good amount of those willing participants do it for the money and not the kids. Another commenter said, as a licensed ex foster parent, I’m now retired. I am surprised that she only received six years. To qualify as a foster parent, you must attend training and you sign a lengthy contract with your state that specifically prevents you from exercising physical restraint or punishment and all inappropriate behavior on the part of the foster child is to be immediately reported to child services and if necessary, the police. This crime should have received more than just a slap on the wrist. A third comment said he suffered organ and soft tissue damage, liver and lung, hemorrhaging and other injuries. She literally crushed his organs. How evil. When I was a kid, if I got in trouble, my mom or dad would paddle my butt and it was over and we moved on. It hurt a little but was very effective and in no way abusing. Basically I got busted, paid the price, and me and my loving parents moved on. And the final comment we’re going to read today says the judge should be disbarred. Six years for killing a child by laying her butt on this little guy. She should have a life sentence. He asked for help. Way too many foster parents are abusive and are just in it for the money. Just check the news. Every time I hear of children being starved or lock in their room with a mattress full of feces, I wonder what is wrong with our Child Protective Service. And that’s the last comment. What did you think of this case and what others had to say about it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
And remember, this podcast is listener funded. Episodes like this one are made possible by My LaMs over on Patreon. You can join for [email protected] loveandmurder and still get some perks. But if you want the full experience, then sign up for one of the bonus tiers. By doing that, you’re not just supporting the show, you’re becoming a voice for the victims and helping their stories be heard. Thank you for listening all the way to the end. Thank you for your support and we’ll see you in the next episode of Love and Murder.
If you suspect child abuse, please reach out to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD or visit childhelp.org. Your vigilance can make a difference.

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