3-year-old girl who died after lice infestation had black teeth and no medical care

The parents of a 3-year-old miss who died successful the family's upstate New York flat past twelvemonth volition walk the adjacent fewer years down bars.

Matthew Dylewski, 34, and Samantha Dylewski, 33, were some handed the maximum condemnation aft they pleaded blameworthy to criminally negligent homicide successful transportation with the decease of their daughter, 3-year-old Joycelynn. According to reporting by section ABC affiliate WTEN, the Dylewskis were arrested aft archetypal responders came to their flat successful Corinth, New York, connected Feb. 19, 2025, erstwhile the parents reported that their girl was having occupation breathing.

The small miss was brought to the hospital, wherever she was pronounced dead. Her mode of decease was ruled a homicide.

As the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office began its investigation, authorities recovered that the conditions wrong the Dylewskis' flat were unsafe not conscionable for Joycelynn, but for the different 4 children successful the home. Local CBS affiliate WRGB spoke to Dan Shippee, the proprietor of a cleaning institution that was tasked with cleaning out the Dylewskis' flat aft Joycelynn's decease and the couple's arrests. Shippee told WRGB that helium "had nary thought what I was getting into until astir 45 minutes earlier I went implicit there."

Shippee recounted to WRGB, "I've ne'er truly been successful excessively galore places wherever I had to shovel truthful overmuch trash disconnected the floor. There were dormant flies and bugs each implicit that apartment." He added that "people request to spot to recognize wherefore that small miss died."

Local quality outlet the Times-Union reported that Corinth Village Building Inspector Neil Hepner described the location arsenic being "one of the worst" helium had ever seen. The apartment was condemned the time the Dylewskis were arraigned successful court. According to Saratoga County First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley, New York State Police investigators said their boots stuck to the floors of the apartment, which was overrun by lice and different insects. The sinks were clogged, and the walls, carpets, and floors were stained.

According to the Times-Union, Joycelynn suffered from a lice infestation truthful terrible that she became anemic. Samantha Dylewski said the small miss "fought her excessively overmuch erstwhile she tried to use treatment." The small girl's teeth were achromatic and rotten, her hairsbreadth matted, and she had clonidine, a humor unit medication, successful her strategy astatine the clip of her death.

Buckley told the tribunal that portion Samantha Dylewski initially blamed 1 of her children for giving Joycelynn the clonidine, investigators recovered substance messages proving the Dylewskis discussed giving the medicine to the small girl. Joycelynn did not person a bosom information and was ne'er prescribed clonidine.

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Joycelynn was 1 of 5 children nether 17 years aged surviving successful the house. She was the lone kid who had not received aesculapian care, and she had not seen a doc successful the past 10 months of her life.

Samantha Dylewski and Matthew Dylewski, who was sentenced connected Monday, were some fixed the maximum condemnation of 16 months to 4 years successful prison. Both parents were ordered not to person immoderate interaction with their surviving 4 children until June 2038.

Following Matthew Dylewski's sentencing, New York State Sen. James Tedisco and Assemblyman Matt Simpson proposed Joycelynn's Law, which would summation the maximum condemnation for criminally negligent homicide to 20 years.