Guilty Plea in Infant Death

October 10, 2024, Peoria, IL- Today, 19-year-old Zenai Denise Lashayla Wolford pleaded guilty to Endangering the Life or Health of a Child after unintentionally causing the death of her nine-month-old son this past July in what was deemed a terrible tragedy. Per the plea agreement, Wolford, who has no prior criminal history, will serve three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

On July 26, Wolford was putting her son to sleep in his crib when drugs, unbeknownst to Wolford, fell out of her clothing and into the crib. At some point, the baby ingested the drugs and subsequently died. Wolford cooperated with police and was distraught throughout the case. Because this was an unintentional act and Wolford had no knowledge of the drugs falling into the crib, murder charges could not be filed in this case. This plea was the only way to ensure Wolford would spend time in prison. Without it, she would have been eligible for probation.

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