Dakota Levi Stevens was born in muster Indiana on October 21st 2013 his closest relatives called him Levi and his younger sister called him Levy because she couldn’t quite pronounce his name when she first started to talk as most news articles refer to him by his legal name will be doing the same moving forward now by all accounts Dakota was an extraordinary kid he was smart creative and passionate he had brown hair blue eyes in a dimpled grin that according to his aunt could light up any room he walked into he had
a big heart and strong opinions and he wasn’t shy about voicing them his aunt affectionately called him a master bargainer because he could be very convincing his former Foster father said he could talk your ear off and that he once talked him into to bring a cricket home so he could keep it as a pet his favorite foods were chicken nuggets and pizza Dakota loved bugs frogs sharks and being outside he did a school project on cicadas and decided they were the best bug in the world he also loved Legos Thomas the Tank Engine Minecraft and Pokémon he
enjoyed reading and used his vibrant imagination to tell stories sometimes even acting out the exciting Parts he liked Katy Perry songs and would often sing and do quirky little dances and perform especially anytime someone pulled out a camera he loved playing Bor games and no matter the game he was always sure he had won his enthusiasm and energy made him hard to keep up with his aunt said he gave his teachers a run for their money but he was very smart he loved math and his favorite teacher was Mrs tarnavski
on February 22nd 2022 she asked her class to write an essay imagining what they would be like in the future dakot ‘s response gave a glimpse of his big personality in it he said when I am 22 I will live with Mrs tarnavski my favorite teacher I love so much I will be tall I will have a 100,000 frogs a big leopard shark 500 fish two dogs and one cat that’s what I want to be like when I’m 22 years old Mrs tarnovsky said Dakota had big emotions and he was always concerned with fairness and respect while she was teaching algebra she said
he was teaching everyone else patience he told his relatives he was going to discover a new species of shark someday and he practiced his wildlife biology skills by going on bug Hunting Expeditions in the backyard in one picture taken by his foster father Dakota holds a small snail in the palm of his hand and smiles proud of his new discovery his aunt said he loved to bug hunt and he would tell all the bugs when he caught them don’t worry I’m your uncle Levi I’m going to take care of you Dakota had a big family and many aunts
his aunt Anna Parish Parker was there the day he was born she said he stole her heart from the moment I held him in the hospital a year later his younger sister was born over the next few years his parents both struggled with substance use and eventually it got so bad they were unable to care for their children in early 2018 the Indiana Department of children’s services placed Dakota and his sister in foster care for about 2 weeks and in may they placed the children with her aunt Anna she loved taking care of both children said Dakota
brought a lot of joy to everyone around him at 4 years old he was already showing signs of the energy and enthusiasm he had been known for he kept her busy she said his eyes popped open in the morning and he was go go go his passions were digging for bugs and playing outside with his sister he was always happiest when spending time with his family she said he was a good big brother who loved his sister tremendously this love Shone through in pictures of the two siblings often they posed leaning on one another sometimes
with his arm around her shoulder and always with their matching grins beaming at the camera while in her care Dakota and his sister were required by DCS to go to therapy twice a week they were still having scheduled visits with their parents twice a week as well all of these appointments on top of the time they spend at school she said they didn’t have time to be children when Anna mentioned Dakota was struggling with behavioral issues at school the department wanted to add even more therapy sessions she didn’t think making
their schedule even more stressful would help but she never got a chance to explain why after almost a year in her custody DCS had the children removed from her care and didn’t even give her a reason as to why they would do that Anna said the judge ruled a removal from Care on behalf of DCs and I never had the chance to speak to the judge to tell them I didn’t want the kids to have more therapy at one point he lived with his grandmother Melissa maor but the department wouldn’t let him stay with her either she said Levi was never
traumatized until he got in the system one day he woke up and nobody he loved was around him no more he was only 5 years old the next 5 years Melissa Anna and other family members fought hard to get Dakota and his sister back but they had lost them to a system that as we know all too often doesn’t seem to have the children’s best interest at heart explaining the situation Anna said our family had him and his sister taken from us by the department of Children and Family Services back in 2019 for reasons we don’t understand and weren’t in our
control him and his sister were kept from us despite many and multiple efforts to get them back there wasn’t a day that went by when Levi and his sister weren’t on our minds and in our hearts sometime around mid 2019 before his sixth birthday in October Dakota and his sister were placed with new foster parents in Hammond Indiana their Foster father Hayden hetel said it was a difficult but also so very happy time he was only 21 years old when he and his girlfriend Melena Blanchard became firsttime parents to 5-year-old Dakota
and his four-year-old sister Melena said Dakota was always hopeful no matter how much she struggled she said he was just a baby but his personality showed from the day we got him even with all the trauma he’d been through he still managed to see the good in things he was troubled he was hurt but his soul was be beautiful this stand and I decided I know I should make another stand so I made he does I made the other stand over here and it perfectly fits and I even this is this is not a block this is not a block
right block what is that Bella production Hayden said of the time by no means was being a parent easy especially at 21 starting with a four and five-year-olds but parenting is never easy and Hayden said Dakota never went to bed without asking for a hug and kiss no matter how bad it was we never went to bed angry or upset because we would reset the next morning and go to bed at least knowing we both still loved each other Hayden said Dakota struggled with anxiety and mental health issues and he had his moments but he responded well to
a little TLC he said he never needed excessive force to be held back I had him in his fits and all he needed was to be heard held and sometimes bare hugged and he would just melt in your arms Dakota and hated bonded quickly he said from the beginning the boy looked up to him as a father he never didn’t call me dad he was always like Dad this Dad that let’s go on a walk at his new foster home he kept his tradition of bug hunting and love playing outside in the yard pictures from this time with Hayden show a happy kid coloring drawing posing
for the first day of first grade building with blocks and Legos and playing with his sister he also spent time with his foster grandparents Sabrina and Joe hetel one year Grandpa Joe even dressed up as a Yeti so Dakota could find one for Halloween and Hayden got the boy initials tached on his ankle in September of 2021 Dakota’s biological father Dakota D Stevens passed away from complications of his struggle with addiction Dakota’s biological mother also relinquished her parental rights around that time Hayden and his family
were trying to adopt Dakota and his sister but the situation soon got complicated sister’s adoption was contested in the courts which caused a delay Hayden’s personal circumstances changed he explained on social media 2 and A2 years in some really weird unfortunate circumstances and instances that happened to us that made me have to walk away initially at the time of adoption being a single dad at that point and not having help while working 16 hours every day would not have been the life for them however he emphasized
that even though he wasn’t able to adopt the kids on his first attempt once he was able to overcome the unfortunate circumstances he tried again to adopt Dakota DCS and the courts would not let him Hayden said he was always loved and not for a second did we not want him we wanted him to be safe healthy and loved after the adoption fell through DCS removed the children from Hayden’s care and Dakota was placed in a mental institution in Southbend Indiana for treatment he and his sister were split up she was adopted by a family but once
Dakota was released from the treatment program he was once again shuffled from foster home to foster home we into Hayden Dakota begged for a while to come back because he felt safe and happy at our home in October of 2022 Hayden and his parents Grandpa Joe and Grandma Sabrina were able to bring Dakota home for a week but after that short time a judge denied the placement without giving them any reason or explanation whatsoever as we’ve seen in countless cases DCS hides many of their actions behind privacy laws meaning the public
and even the people involved are left with more questions than they are answers but during their short week together Hayden and his family were able to make more memories with Dakota when it became clear they wouldn’t be allowed to keep him Hayden told the DCS officials that the ideal placement for Dakota would be in a home home where he was the only child he said he was thriving in an environment with no kids Hayden post about his time as Dakota’s father saying I have and 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 and I hope you took and lived each day like it was your last your memory will live on and I will make damn sure everyone knows you knows your story knows the wonderful human being in 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 three years that I did and the one week that I had you last year thank you for the laughs the cries the sleepless nights the endless memories
your excitement and passion for anything that you did and put your mind to amazed me it’s not exactly clear where Dakota spent the next year but Reports say he bounced between staying with relatives and Foster Care another Aunt Nicole rubal Cava had custody of hidden for some time but DCS removed him from her care as well wherever he went and despite his struggles he was always doing something creative in early 2024 he started making paper boxes and selling them for $2 a box he sold one to Aaliyah Stewart who he knew from a local
youth center but along with her box she said she got much more from the young entrepreneur she said he held me to my accountability when she missed her arranged pickup time leaving her a Stern voicemail message he he also talked her into downloading a free version of Minecraft according to one of his relatives he always dreamed of starting his own business and this project was one step down that path to making that dream come true he was staying with one of his aunts in April of 2024 when he moved yet again this time to Liberty
Township in the home of Jennifer Lee Wilson and her husband Robert Wilson Robert worked as the principal of the nearby Lake Ridge new Tech Middle School the couple became licensed foster parents in 2017 after completing what DCS described as the required training and education required to achieve and maintain lure the couple had adopted three children they fostered and according to Jennifer they were ready to stop fostering but they knew Dakota because they had provided respit care for him a couple of years earlier which means they
took him for a short time so his caretakers could have a break so despite their plans to stop they decided to take him in and despite Hayden’s suggestion that they find Dakota a home where he would be the only child DCS decideed to place him with the Wilson’s in their three children on April 5th 2024 he moved into their home on Falcon Way in val perzo Indiana though all of his foster parents admitted he could be a handful sometimes Jennifer painted a much darker picture of Dakota she said he had quote verbal and physical
aggression issues though it is hard to imagine that she found him physically intimidating because the 10-year-old was a small slight boy who weighed only 91 lb and Jennifer was much larger than that according to her driver’s license she stood 4 11 in tall and weighed 340 lb April 25th Jennifer said Dakota woke up agitated because she had told him not to run in the house while playing Nerf guns with the other children she told all the children they could go outside to play once they finish their chores but she said Dakota refused to complete
his as a consequence she said he wasn’t allowed to play outside but he said he was leaving and went outside anyway she said he had not done this before so she planned to give him about 5 minutes to in her words cool off but when she went out in the backyard to confront him she realized he had run away down the street deota was talking to a neighbor he asked the woman if she would adopt him and asked her to call the police he said his current foster parents hit him in the face and didn’t let him call his case
worker concerned the neighbor looked for signs of CA but said she didn’t see any injuries on his face or any other area she could easily observe while they were talking Jennifer drove up in a car and asked Dakota to get in he refused the neighbor told her she was worried something was wrong because Dakota asked her to call the police Jennifer told her to mind her own business because she didn’t know what was going on eventually unable to get help Dakota got in the back seat of the car and Jennifer drove him back to the house it’s worth pausing
here to point out that the neighbor who was just trying to help might have inadvertently made the the situation even more tense if you tell a regular parent that their kid asks you to call the police they’re likely to be embarrassed but if you tell a complete monster the same thing you risk making them even more angry and putting the child in even more danger now back at the house Jennifer said Dakota wouldn’t get out of the car so she got out and opened the back door she said he acted up by screaming and telling her he was
going to leave she said she isn’t exactly clear about what happened next she said she wanted to get him under control and keep him from leaving but she isn’t sure if she tackled the boy or if they fell down accidentally somehow they ended up on the ground and her heavy body pinned them beneath her for more than 7 Minutes the Wilson’s home had a ring video camera installed and the camera captured the altercation in several Clips she was also able to speak to her husband through the ring camera and the video clips were sent to his
cell phone the first 2 second clip showed Jennifer sprawled across Dakota’s head and neck while he screamed and flailed around this time Jennifer used her phone to FaceTime Toot’s case worker she kept her body on top of the boy during this call she was holding the phone with one hand she could only support herself with her one free hand casew worker tried to calm him down but had little success likely because Dakota knew he was in danger after her called the case worker she used the ring doorbell to speak to her husband telling
him Dakota was having one of his days the next 20 second clip she was still on top of him but she seemed to be resting some of her weight on her right arm and elbow which was planted on the ground at this point Dakota was still moving and able to scream but his efforts began to fade by the third clip he had fallen silent and gone still his arms were stretched above his head Jennifer was still on top of him but she had moved down his body and was laying across his hips this clip was longer lasting 6 minutes and 48 seconds and during that
entire time Dakota doesn’t move at all the next clip neither had changed position she was still crushing him he wasn’t moving she claimed she thought he was faking it when he stopped trying to get away the fifth video clip Jennifer had hoisted herself up onto one knee Dakota was motionless beneath her face down on the ground she rolled him over she noticed his eyelids were pale finally realizing he was unconscious and unresponsive she screamed his name several times and asked one of her children to call 911 said I was laying
on him he was acting bad at some point during the altercation a neighbor noticed what was going on and she started CPR on the boy a firefighter who lived nearby heard the call and ran to help taking over the CPR at around 3:37 police and EMTs arrived in response to a call about a medical emergency when they arrived Dakota wasn’t breathing and he had no pulse they noticed bruising on his neck and chest paramedics rushed him to Porter memorial hospital and from there he was airlifted to the larger Southbend Memorial
Hospital where he was placed on life support but he’d been without oxygen for too long and couldn’t recover 2 days later on April 27th he was taken off life support and pronounced dead shortly after police said Jennifer looked visibly distraught they took her statement but they didn’t arrest her the next day she sent them the ring video footage from from her husband’s cell phone based on their actions police treated her more like a witness rather than a murderer relatives were told that Dakota had suffered a medical emergency
but weren’t given many details DCS officials first said that neither his family members or his former foster parents could even attend his funeral because he was awarded the state understandably they were heartbroken angry and afraid that they wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the little boy that they loved on April 29th his grandfather George Stevens posted a desperate Cry for Help on social media it read okay Facebook people I need help my grandson Dakota Levi Stevens was in DCFS custody cuz my son and his
girlfriend lost custody and gave up their parental rights we just found out that my grandson is dead can’t get any help through DCFS or information worst of all there’s nothing on the news about it and supposedly whoever was taking care of him or possibly going to adopt him somehow suffocated him in the process C of getting control in some type of fit that he was having he ended up going to the hospital put on life support found out that he was brain dead they pulled the plug and he died I can’t get any information to clear any of this
up or to be able to attend my grandson’s funeral through the DCFS office relatives reached out to local news outlets searching for answers a week after his death Hayden told reporters he still had no answers 2 weeks later one of his aunts told reporters we have not heard anything from the police eventually DCS officials changed their minds and allowed the family to attend his funeral the department released a public statement through their spokesman Brian Hinman who said our entire staff is heartbroken by this news DCS works
with stakeholders and partners across the state to investigate the death of a child anytime there is suspected violence or neglect and will take the appropriate action he said that Jennifer and Robert’s Foster license had been put on hold after review and substantiation of CA it could be revoked after the Department’s change of heart his family was allowed to plan his funeral which was held on May 6th at the gon Funeral Home in Crown Point his family set up a huge inflatable shark over the driveway outside of the funeral
home in honor of the boy who wanted to discover a new species MERS walk through the shark’s open mouth on their way to the entrance inside family members set up pictures of Dakota as well as his favorite Thomas the tank engine trains school projects and things he made were displayed on the wall a large Lego creation sat on each side of his blue casket over 100 people attended his service including his favorite teacher Mrs tarnavski she said she had learned a lot from him and that knowing him and seeing how he handled his struggles
helped her accept traumatic experiences from her own life she said the love he shared with his family was his greatest strength saying I’ve heard many bad things about what happened to this child he told me all of it but it was never about his family Dakota was his own hero each day and the reason for that was the foundation from his family I just need you to know he loved you too every single day one of the truly special things about Dakota was his ability to stay optimistic no matter what he went through his Aunt Nicole rubacava said
even if he battled stuff this kid’s heart truly was not made for this world he taught me so much he truly did and I didn’t think a kid could teach you stuff like that at his funeral service Aunt Nicole told a story from the time he spent with her about 3 days before he was placed back in foster care she said they sat down and had a talk she told him promise when you make it out of the system I just want you to tell me everything you make with your Legos she said he agreed and that the two of them touched their thumbs together to seal
the promise it was a way for them to both keep their spirits up while they had to be aart it wasn’t the way she hoped for but she said in a way Dakota kept the most important part of his promise looking over at his casket she said he came back to me he made it out of the system later that day after his funeral a vigil was held in his memory in the Eagle Ridge Subdivision where he died the vigil was organized by Monica gimenez a resident of the community who was also a relative of Dakota’s Foster father Hayden the vigil was held at the
community playground and residents H to raise money to put up a plaque there in his memory more than 100 people attended Dakota’s name was spelled out in silver balloons tied to the top of a swing set and everyone ate pizza one of his favorite foods tendy lit candles and held up the flashlights on their cell phones during a moment of silence and prayer many wore black t-shirts with a photo of Dakota on the front and justice for Dakota on the back Hayden told the gathered crowd I don’t know if anybody knew Dakota but Dakota would have loved
everybody being here together he would have talked your ear off the whole time Hayden’s mother Sabrina spoke of holding DCS accountable saying we’re heartbroken over the events that took place we’re here because we want Justice for Dakota there needs to be changes a child lost his life and it was senseless it was a system that was supposed to protect him and it failed though they were able to lay Dakota to rest his family and Foster family still didn’t have answers and no one was being held responsible for his
death on May 20th Foster father Hayden posted the following on social media it read how is it that the smallest infraction of a crime whether it be driving without a license or petty theft from a store those people get charged and taken in right away but the murderer of a 10-year-old boy is getting swept under the mat 25 days say it with me 25 days since the murder of Dakota Levi Stevens 25 days later and his murderer is walking free near the end of May Dakota’s Ava Parish felt like she had to do something so she started a protest calling for
Justice at this first protest she wanted police to charge Jennifer with a crime arrest her and lock her up she missed her nephew and said the days of us being reunited will never happen it’s really hard on my daughter and it’s been really hard on my husband that’s why we’re out here because he doesn’t have a voice we have to be his voice when the family still didn’t have the answers next month she held another protest in late June she and other members of his family along with supporters gathered at a busy intersection on Indiana 149 carrying
signs and bullhorns and letting the public know that Jennifer had messed with the wrong family investigators say the death of a 10-year-old boy in foster care was a homicide Dakota Stevens died back in April two days after he suffered what was described as a medical emergency at his foster home in Northwest Indiana an autopsy determined that that he died from mechanical asphixiation which is when an object or physical Force stops someone from breathing no one has been charged in Dakota’s death authorities say they are
still investigating in July the St Joseph County Corner’s office completed the autopsy report cota’s cause of death was listed as mechanical asfixia which happens when an object or physical Force stops a person from breathing in this case the weight of Jennifer’s Body literally stopped him from breathing his brain had severe swelling because he had been deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time he also had suffered organ damage and Hemorrhage from his liver and lungs his manner of death was ruled a homicide July 12th Jennifer was
charged with Reckless homicide which is a level five felony in Indiana One Step Up from the lowest level felony possible if convicted she would serve a maximum of just 6 years in prison now if you remember earlier cases we’ve covered in Indiana you might remember that they have credit time laws what this means to spare you the details is that if she was considered a model prisoner she would only need to serve half her sentence meaning she would only serve 3 years for killing deota around 1:00 p.m. officers went to
her home to arrest her but didn’t find her there she was out of town and had left the state a warrant for her arrest went out the next day a license plate reader captured her car in Baran County Michigan just north of the Indiana border the evening of July 13th the deputy there located her vehicle arrested her and held her on a fugitive of Justice warrant she was extradited back to Indiana and held on a $20,000 cash Bond despite obviously demonstrating that she was a Flight Risk her case was assigned to Porter Superior
Court Judge Mary dor on July 17th she made bond with help from her family and was released she returned to her home on Falcon way according to post made by Dakota’s family her next hearing is scheduled in August as Jennifer has yet to be convicted of a crime she is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law we be sure to keep an eye out for updates when and if they become available Dakota’s family including his army of aunts are Furious that she only faces a maximum of six years and they also want to hold DCS and
Jennifer’s husband accountable for their part their murder they have created three petitions online at the change.org website and are asking the public to sign in support one of the petitions asked the department to provide more training for foster parents to prevent similar deaths in the future it says more comprehensive classes should be introduced focusing on child psychology trauma informed care techniques and emergency response kills among others the second petition asked Lake Ridge new Tech Middle School to remove
Robert from his role as principal since he is a mandated reporter and got no help for Dakota to despite seeing the incident via video call the school released a press release that said no charges are filed against Mr Wilson nor are any anticipated Lakeridge new tech schools has not received any reports that would cause suspicion about Mr Wilson’s qualifications as an educator to ensure the safety and security of Lake Ridge students while we understand that the legal proceedings affect Mr Wilson’s family Lake Ridge will continue
to monitor these proceedings as any determination is made related to Mr Wilson’s wife Dakota’s family disagrees saying Lake County Indiana deserves School principles who are genuine Protectors of children’s safety not those who will willingly turn a blind eye to ca the last petition demands more serious charges to be filed against Jennifer charges that would result in a harsher penalty than 6 years they believed that Jennifer was acting intentionally and she knew her actions were harming the boy they said it’s
seems the system yet again fail to protect Dakota we believe that Wilson’s charges should be elevated from Reckless homicide to manslaughter or even murder for her actions were far from Reckless they were lethal and appeared intentional after they found out that Jennifer had been released on bond some family members protested on the sidewalk outside of her home chanting Justice for Dakota just
where you at Kenny come put me up where you at baby want your neighbors usce Aunt Ava is also still holding monthly protest test most recent one they held signs that featured a QR code that linked to the online petitions family also printed yard signs that feature His Image they’re asking community members to display them to raise awareness Mary Snell one of Dakota’s many cousins joined in the protest she said our voice is his voice now she took his voice away that’s all
we’re trying is to be his voice Justice For Justice for me the bird me the bir Justice for dakot tell MD we said Hello’s Aunt Anna the one who held him the day he was born and one of the many aunts who loved him unconditionally wants everyone to remember the Levi she remembers the little boy who is so full of life and love in a post online she said you matter Levi to me and to all that loved you we can’t stop won’t stop not until Justice is served not only on Earth but in the afterlife too not until you are remembered for all you are and
all you would have been you must be remembered for the strong and brave person you were you were so much more than her victim and I will not let you be remembered as that that remember he was brave enough to seek help he was intelligent enough to do all he could to get help and try to prevent this at times I feel like his identity is being lost in all this yes we want Justice and a more appropriate charge and sentence yes we want DCFS held accountable too for their part in his homicide and all their nonsense actions but most
important to me I want his memory and Legacy to live on a lot of the information out there focuses on what happened in the facts surrounding his death and focuses on the monster that took his life life while I’m grateful for the coverage please keep in mind he was a person a one in a million kid he was a son brother grandson nephew cousin friend he was loved and always will be how many news stories or Tik toks or YouTube videos take more than a second to mention him as a bright and loving kid mention his IQ or his interests or
how much he loved his sister how many have truly covered him as a person and not a casualty Levi was and is more than a sensational reaction to violence and abuse that has been legally happening for years please I ask when you speak his name don’t speak it solely as a victim or a statistic speak it full of life and love just as he was in his short life we will keep shouting your name Brother Bear you live on in all of us keep his name going not the person who took his life I choose to remember his smile and his laugh his Levi ways
not the ugliness I miss you so much Levi so much and think of you and your pirate smile all the time you should be here but I take comfort in the fact you’re in heaven and you’re free my baby free from all the bad and ugly in this world keep flying high I take comfort in all the little signs you are still near keep them coming they keep me going I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you in heaven
