Massachusetts mom texted her 8-year-old she’d be home soon after he sent a video of his sick brother. She got back at 10 AM to find the toddler dead

A 27-year-old mother from Chelsea, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to four to six years in prison following the death of her 3-year-old son, Yael Guardado-Prudencio. Jennifer Prudencio pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge and three counts of reckless endangerment of a child, marking a final legal outcome in a case that began with her initial arraignment in April 2024.

According to CBS News, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office reported that the toddler was discovered dead inside the family’s apartment on April 7, 2024. NBC 10 further reported that the 3-year-old suffered from a seizure disorder and hemophilia. In the week before his death, the child had fallen during a seizure, resulting in a facial wound that was not healing properly. Prosecutors stated that the boy had been vomiting blood in the days before his passing.

Per PEOPLE, Prudencio sought medical care for her son twice during that week, but his condition remained severe. On the night of Saturday, April 6, 2024, the boy appeared pale and was vomiting again. Despite that, Prudencio left the toddler in the care of his two siblings, who were only 7 and 8 years old at the time, and was out all night.

She spent the night at her boyfriend’s home

According to NBC 10, Prudencio had headed to a bar in Revere, where she spent several hours drinking alcohol. Then, rather than returning to care for her sick son, she stayed the night at her boyfriend’s home in Somerville. In a different case of child neglect, a mother got angry with her children, so she drove them to the hospital and abandoned them shoeless. 

Assistant District Attorney Audrey Mark explained during the initial arraignment that the older sibling was clearly worried about the toddler’s condition. “The defendant also admitted that during the night, she received a video and text from her 8-year-old son communicating concerns for the alleged victim’s well-being. And despite that she chose to stay out all night,” Mark said, per CBS News.

Although Prudencio reportedly told her son she would be home soon, she did not return until approximately 10 a.m. the following morning. It was at that point that she discovered her son had died. 

In early reporting on the case, a woman who said she knew Prudencio told NBC 10 that she had been out with her that night and believed a babysitter was watching the children.

According to Boston.com, the court credited Prudencio with 284 days already served. Following that, she faces three years of probation with very strict terms. Per CBS, she is prohibited from consuming alcohol or illegal drugs and must undergo mental health treatment. 

Furthermore, should she seek reunification or visitation with her surviving children, or if she has another child, the outlet noted that she is required to participate in a parenting class. Prudencio is currently committed to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Framingham.

According to NBC 10, the Department of Children and Families took emergency custody of the surviving children shortly after the incident in 2024. 

During the early stages of the legal proceedings, Prudencio’s defense attorney had requested a lower bail amount. He had called the incident “a terrible, terrible tragedy” and insisted that Prudencio was “severely distraught.” However, the court proceeded with the charges. In a strange turn of events, a nurse who was found guilty of silencing medical alarms for a child with low oxygen also asked for leniency from the judge.

She was sentenced on Sept. 22, the same day she entered her guilty plea.