Porter County Foster Mother Charged In Death Of 10 Year Old Dakota Levi Stevens
Jennifer Wilson the foster mother of 10-year-old, Dakota Levi Stevens, has been charged with Reckless Homicide Friday, according to court documents. Porter County Police were at the home Friday around 1 PM but didn’t appear to take anyone into custody. Wilson is not believed to be in custody at this time and possibly out of town.
On April 25th, at approximately 3 PM, Porter County Sheriff Patrol Officers were dispatched to a residence in the area of the 200 Block of Falcon Way, in Liberty Township for a medical emergency, according to Police.
Upon arrival, Emergency Medical Services transported a 10-year-old juvenile to a local hospital for treatment. The boy was flown to a South Bend hospital for further treatment where he later passed after being on life support.
Neighbors who came out to see this tragic situation unfolding on April 25th told RNS they saw two ladies out front on the lawn, foster mother Jennifer Wilson to Dakota and another neighbor who was performing CPR on Dakota. Dakota at that time appeared to be pale with blue lips and was not breathing, witnesses said. Minutes later a firefighter who lived in the neighborhood ran over to assist and took over CPR until EMT’s and police arrived on scene.
Wilson told officers that Dakota had thrown himself on the ground back at her residence and stated she “laid on his midsection and called his caseworker,” court documents state.
Wilson said to officers she laid on him for approximately five minutes to get him under control and he eventually stopped moving, documents state. Ring camera shows Wilson on Dakotas neck before laying on him near his hips. She reportedly believed he was faking when he was no longer moving. Dakota’s death was ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxia, according to the Coroner.
Neighbors said they are devastated by the news of Dakota passing later and told RNS, “Dakota was a good kid that was just dealt a bad hand in life.”
Dakota had entered the DCS system after his biological parents were going through addiction issues years ago. His father passed from those issues and another source close to this situation stated that his mother never recovered from her addiction.
Previous foster parent to Dakota, Hayden Hetzel told RNS that they were fostering Dakota from 2019-2021. The family had to step away from adoption because Dakota had a sister they were also fostering but there was a contesting adoption case in the courts still. Once Dakota and his sister left this family DCS separated the siblings and Dakota fell, ”victim to the system.” The family was able to get him back a year and a half later for a week but then a judge denied his placement for unknown reasons, according to Hetzel. Hetzel went on to say, Dakota begged for a while to come back because he felt safe and happy at our home. The family stated he was placed in a hospital facility because no one in the state wanted him shortly after all this. Since then and numerous battles with DCS the family has fostered other children. DCS has failed them as well, the family stated. DCS still won’t give them answers or call them back.
Hetzel posted on his social media, “I have & will continue to love you with every part of my heart. I hope the time that I had you I was able to show you what a good man should be & I hope you took & lived each day like it was your last… even if it was cut short. Your memory will live on & I will make damn sure everyone knows you. Knows your story, knows the wonderful human being & soul you were. I’m glad I got to take you for your first real haircut last year at the barber shop. I’m glad I had you for the almost 3 years that I did & the one week that I had you last year. Thank you for the laughs, the cries, the sleepless nights, the endless memories.. your excitement & passion for anything that you did & put your mind to AMAZED me.”
