The parents of a 3-year-old girl who died last year in the family’s upstate New York apartment have each been sentenced to up to four years in prison.
Matthew Dylewski, 34, and Samantha Dylewski, 33, received the maximum sentence after pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the death of their daughter, Joycelynn. According to local ABC affiliate WTEN, the couple was arrested after emergency responders were called to their apartment in Corinth, New York, on Feb. 19, 2025, when they reported that the child was having difficulty breathing.
Joycelynn was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities later ruled her death a homicide.
During the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office investigation, officials said they found dangerous and unsanitary conditions inside the apartment, where four other children also lived. The findings became a central part of the criminal case against the parents.
Dan Shippee, the owner of a cleaning company hired to clear the apartment after Joycelynn’s death and the parents’ arrests, told local CBS affiliate WRGB that he “had no idea what I was getting into until about 45 minutes before I went over there.”
“I’ve never really been in too many places where I had to shovel so much trash off the floor. There were dead flies and bugs all over that apartment,” Shippee said. He added that “people need to see to understand why that little girl died.”
Corinth Village Building Inspector Neil Hepner described the apartment as being “one of the worst” he had ever seen, according to the Times-Union. The property was condemned on the day the Dylewskis were arraigned.
Saratoga County First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley said New York State Police investigators reported that their boots stuck to the floors. The apartment was infested with lice and other insects, while sinks were clogged and the walls, carpets and floors were heavily stained.
Prosecutors said Joycelynn had a severe lice infestation that caused anemia. Samantha Dylewski said the child “fought her too much when she tried to apply treatment.” Authorities also said Joycelynn’s teeth were black and decayed, her hair was matted, and clonidine, a blood pressure medication, was found in her system.
Buckley told the court that Samantha Dylewski initially accused one of her other children of giving Joycelynn the medication. Investigators, however, found text messages showing that the parents had discussed giving clonidine to the girl. Joycelynn did not have a heart condition and had not been prescribed the drug.
Joycelynn was one of five children younger than 17 living in the apartment. Prosecutors said she was the only child who had not received medical care and had not been seen by a doctor during the final 10 months of her life.
Both parents were sentenced to terms of 16 months to four years in prison. Matthew Dylewski was sentenced Monday. The court also barred both parents from contacting their four surviving children until June 2038.
After Matthew Dylewski’s sentencing, New York State Sen. James Tedisco and Assemblyman Matt Simpson proposed legislation called Joycelynn’s Law. The measure would increase the maximum sentence for criminally negligent homicide to 20 years.