Mom who claimed toddler ‘strangled himself’ in car seat she wasn’t using after finding him ‘hanging’ from rear window gets max sentence

A 25-year-old pistillate successful Iowa volition walk decades down bars aft a justice handed down the maximum sentence for her relation successful the strangulation decease of her 3-year-old lad aft she lied to authorities, telling investigators the lad was choked to decease by the thorax strap connected his car spot — a instrumentality she seldom adjacent used.

Plymouth County District Judge Jeffrey A. Neary connected Friday ordered Billie Mosier to service a condemnation of 50 years successful a authorities correctional installation for the 2023 slaying of young Jordan Reed, tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

The half-century condemnation was the harshest punishment disposable for Mosier, who past period was convicted connected 1 number of kid endangerment resulting successful decease pursuing a seat proceedings earlier Neary. In summation to the decades of detention, Mosier is besides required to wage $150,000 successful restitution.

As Law&Crime previously reported, the probe into Mosier began erstwhile she called 911 astatine astir 7:55 a.m. connected May 4, 2023, and reported uncovering her lad unconscious and not breathing astatine their residence successful the 500 artifact of Maple Street successful Battle Creek, Iowa, which is astir 135 miles westbound of Des Moines.

Upon arriving astatine the scene, archetypal responders from Battle Creek Community Ambulance Services said they recovered Jordan unresponsive and instantly transported him to Horn Memorial Hospital successful adjacent Ida Grove. Due to the severity of his condition, the 3-year-old was aboriginal transported to Children’s Hospital and Medical Center successful Omaha, Nebraska. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dormant connected May 5.

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According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, an probe conducted by the Ida County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner resulted successful Mosier being arrested respective months aboriginal and charged successful transportation with Jordan’s death.

A transcript of the transgression ailment obtained by Sioux City ABC affiliate KCAU provided further details astir the grounds that led to the charges against Mosier.

Per the report, successful an interrogation with constabulary connected the time of the 911 call, Mosier said that she had been traveling from Ida Grove to Battle Creek with her son, a travel of astir 8 miles. She claimed that erstwhile she got to her destination, Jordan was strapped successful his car spot with his caput slumped down and she believed the toddler was asleep. She aboriginal realized that her lad was not breathing, telling constabulary she believed helium “strangled himself connected the thorax strap” of his car seat.

A consequent autopsy performed by the authorities aesculapian examiner’s bureau determined that Jordan’s origin of decease was so strangulation, but investigators said that the boy’s injuries did not align with Mosier’s communicative astir the car spot thorax strap inadvertently being liable for his death

During a follow-up interrogation successful September 2023, authorities said Mosier admitted that her lad was not really successful his car spot during the travel to Battle Creek.

She confessed that she’d near him successful the conveyance unsecured during the travel and past recovered him “hanging” from the rear driver’s broadside model of the vehicle, the Sioux City Journal reported. Several witnesses besides told constabulary they saw the toddler’s “head oregon precocious body” sticking retired of the model portion Mosier was driving that day.

Additional witnesser statements arsenic good arsenic photographs and videos recovered from Mosier’s telephone reportedly showed that she regularly fto Jordan roam freely passim the car portion she was driving alternatively of securing him successful a kid car seat, arsenic required nether Iowa authorities instrumentality for each kids nether property 6.