ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Allentown woman could serve more than a decade in prison for the death of her toddler four years ago.
Jayleen Rivas-Rodriguez, 36, was sentenced Monday to serve five to 15 years in state prison.
She pleaded guilty in November 2024 to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office announced in a release.
Johansy Suarez-Rivas died April 5, 2021, at St. Luke’s Hospital-Sacred Heart from fentanyl toxicity. The amount of fentanyl in his heart blood was measured at 16.5 nanograms per millimeter.
Law enforcement authorities
Johansy Suarez-Rivas died April 5, 2021, at St. Luke’s Hospital-Sacred Heart from fentanyl toxicity, authorities have said. The amount of fentanyl in his heart blood was measured at 16.5 nanograms per millimeter.
Jorge Suarez-Santiago, Johansy’s father, pleaded guilty in March to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. He’s set to be sentenced June 16.
Authorities said Suarez-Santiago, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Rivas-Rodriguez used heroin hours before their son’s death.
Rivas-Rodriguez left Johansy at home with Suarez-Santiago and found him unresponsive when she returned, according to the release.
The district attorney’s office said both Suarez-Santiago and Rivas-Rodriguez had “a duty of care, protection and support for their child.”