Fatally Suffocated Boy Asked Neighbor to Adopt Him Just Before Foster Mom Laid on Him for 'Acting Up': Cops

An Indiana woman has been arrested in Michigan after police say a warrant was issued for her arrest in connection with her foster son’s death.

On April 25, deputies responded to a home in Valparaiso after receiving information about a 10-year-old boy suffering a medical emergency, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Indianapolis Star.

The boy, Dakota Stevens, was taken to a hospital and then later airlifted to another facility, where he was taken off life support two days later and died.

In June, the medical examiner ruled Stevens’ death homicide by mechanical asphyxia.

On July 12, the Porter County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for 48-year-old Jennifer Wilson’s arrest for a charge of reckless homicide, police said.

According to the arrest affidavit, Stevens and Wilson got into a fight on April 25 after he fled to a neighbor’s house.

Wilson reportedly picked up Stevens and brought him back home, but the boy allegedly started “acting up” and threw himself on the ground.

Wilson laid on top of the boy and contacted his caseworker, the affidavit states. The Department of Child Serviced placed Stevens with Wilson, his foster mother, about a month earlier.

During the pair's interaction, Stevens started screaming, but then he stopped moving. Wilson claimed she thought Stevens was faking, but noted she saw he was pale, authorities said.

The affidavit states Wilson, who weighs 340 pounds, was on the boy, who weighed 91 pounds, for about five minutes.

Authorities obtained Ring doorbell video footage, which allegedly showed Wilson pinning Stevens down. On the 911 call, Wilson tells a dispatcher, “I was laying on him and he was acting bad.”

Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.

First responders observed the boy had bruises on his neck and chest, according to court documents obtained by WMAQ-TV.

When Stevens arrived at the hospital, tests showed he sustained brain swelling that is “consistent with being deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time," according to the documents.

Investigators spoke with the neighbor whose house Stevens went to before his death. The neighbor indicated Stevens asked her to adopt him because his foster parents hit him and he couldn’t contact his caseworker, court documents state.

The boy's request occurred less than an hour before Wilson called 911, and the neighbor did not notice any injuries on him, officials said.

On July 13, Wilson was arrested in Berrien County, Michigan, during a traffic stop. She has been charged with reckless homicide.