Woman convicted in toddler's murder sentenced to at least 2 decades in prison

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The woman charged in the 2017 death of a 2-year-old boy in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane section has been sentenced to 23 to 47 years in prison.

According to District Attorney Larry Krasner, Jedayah Nesmith had previously pleaded guilty to Third Degree Murder, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Abuse of Corpse, and related charges in connection with the death.

According to investigators, in February 2017, the child's mother asked Nesmith, with whom she was romantically involved, to take temporary custody of the child due to a change in the mother's work schedule.

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The mother kept in contact with Nesmith, who claimed multiple times that the child was living with her mother in the Poconos.

Authorities discovered the child's body on March 22, 2017 after Nesmith arranged to pay her ex-boyfriend $1,000 to dispose of the body. The man discovered the body in the apartment and called police, officials said.

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office determined that the child likely died from numerous physical injuries to the head and body, in addition to starvation and dehydration. Antifreeze was also found in the child's system.