Some stories really hit you hard. This is one of those stories. A little boy, only ten years old, is no longer with us. And why? It’s beyond comprehension.
Dakota Levi Stevens had just spent a month in his foster home when his life was taken away in a way that is really hard to understand. His foster mother, 48-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson, is now facing charges of reckless homicide in Berrien County, Michigan. The details of what happened to Dakota are really upsetting, and I want to give you a heads up about some disturbing information.
Reports say that Dakota had run away earlier that day before being found at a neighbor’s house. When they got back home, he acted out — throwing himself on the ground and misbehaving.
And what did Wilson do? She sat on him.
Not just for a second. Not just a quick mistake. No — she put all her weight — 340 pounds (over 150 kg) — on a little boy who only weighed 90 pounds, for about five minutes.
She did this while talking on the phone with his caseworker. Dakota screamed, but she just kept sitting there. Wilson later told the police she thought he was just pretending. She even asked Dakota if he was ready to get up, then wondered, “Are you faking?”
But when she turned him over, she saw something really scary — his eyelids had gone pale.
A child in the house quickly called 911, but it was already too late. By the time the emergency responders got there, Dakota was unresponsive. He was airlifted to the hospital and put on life support, but two days later, he was gone. Dakota died on April 25, 2024.
An autopsy showed the heartbreaking truth: Dakota had serious internal injuries — damage to his organs, soft tissue injuries, and bleeding in his liver and lungs. The official cause of death was found to be mechanical asphyxia—in simple words, Dakota was crushed to death.
This situation has really shocked the whole country, and the sad details just keep coming.
It has now come to light that only 30 minutes before the paramedics got there, Dakota ran to a neighbor’s house, begging her to take him in. Court papers say he told her that his parents had hit him in the face.
At the same time, Fox5 Atlanta reported that Wilson told the police that when she tried to stop Dakota from running away again, she wasn’t sure if she had tackled him or if they just fell — but she said she only meant to hold him down.
Wilson admitted to reckless homicide in October, according to CBS.
In January 2025, the decision was made for the foster mom. She got a six-year prison sentence, with one year suspended to be served on probation.
As The Indianapolis Star reported, Dakota had only been placed in Wilson’s care a month before he died, according to the Department of Child Services. At that time, she had other foster kids in her home, but they were taken away after the tragedy.
In his obituary, Dakota was remembered as a boy who “loved the outdoors” and always “marched to the beat of his own drum.”
We can’t bring Dakota back, but we can ensure his story is shared. Kids in foster care deserve more. They need love, safety, and a system that won’t let them fall through the cracks.
Jennifer Lee Wilson will be held accountable, but nothing can change what has already happened. Rest in peace, Dakota. You deserved so much better.
