AKRON, Ohio — A mother and a grandfather, who were supposed to care for a toddler, are instead going to prison for the way the little girl died.
Kayera Lenoir and her father, Timothy Lenoir, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce.
Defense attorneys asked the judge to consider community control. The maximum sentence for both of the defendants would have been three years behind bars.
Two-year-old Valentina Lenoir died after she somehow ingested fentanyl inside an Akron home in October of 2022.
While addressing Kayera, Judge Croce said, "Valentina can't defend herself. She's two. She was two. There was nothing she could do to protect herself."
Kayera pleaded guilty last month to involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the third degree and endangering children, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Timothy was convicted of endangering children, a felony of the third degree.
Kayera shed tears when she described to the court the pain she feels over the loss of her daughter.
"I failed her. I know I failed my baby and I can't take it back, but I live with it every day of my life and there's nothing I can do to bring her back," she said.
Akron rescue crews rushed to Timothy's house on Oberlin Court after Kayera made a 911 call.
"I had a bad dream and I woke up and it was true. Not my baby!" she told the operator.
In court, Kayera admitted she went out to smoke marijuana and drink at a bar, leaving Valentina with her grandfather.
She told the court she came home intoxicated, and it wasn't until hours later that she realized Valentina wasn't breathing.
Prosecutors described what they called "deplorable conditions" in the house, telling the judge that it was bug-infested with dog feces throughout the home.
"The state's contention is the house was so deplorable that the child was exposed to fentanyl without anyone even knowing," said Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Jamila Mitchell.
Defense attorney Eddie Sipplin, who represents Kayera, said his client is a struggling single mother who stayed in a homeless shelter with her four children before moving in with her dad.
She has since lost custody of the kids.
"She grieves for her child. She loved her child. She was a mother with zero resources," Sipplin said.
When given the chance to speak, Timothy made a brief statement.
"That was all a mistake. If I knew that that was going to happen to the baby, I wouldn't let it happen," he said.
All sides agreed that the tragic death of Valentina shouldn't have happened.
"Valentina Lenior should be alive today, Mitchell said.
