Mother Sentenced After Leaving Three Children Home Alone as 3-Year-Old Died

A Massachusetts mother has been sentenced to prison after leaving her three young children home alone for hours, despite receiving messages from her 8-year-old son that his 3-year-old brother was seriously ill and repeatedly vomiting.

Jennifer Prudencio, 28, pleaded guilty on September 22, 2026, to one count of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of reckless endangerment. The charges stem from the April 2024 death of her 3-year-old son, Yael Guardado-Prudencio.

Judge Joshua Wall sentenced Prudencio to four to six years in prison, followed by three years of probation. The sentence was above the state’s standard sentencing guidelines.

Yael had serious medical conditions

Yael had a history of significant medical problems, including hemophilia and seizures.

In the week before his death, Prudencio took him to a doctor twice. During those appointments, they discussed whether to add another medication to his treatment plan or increase the dosage of his existing anti-seizure medication.

After Yael died, toxicology testing found that the medication was undetectable in his blood.

Prosecutors also said Yael had vomited blood several days before his death.

Despite his medical history and recent symptoms, Prudencio left the home on the evening of April 6, 2024. Her sons, aged 8 and 7, were left to care for their 3-year-old brother.

The messages from her son

According to prosecutors, Prudencio spent the night with her boyfriend, drinking beer before eventually staying at his home.

During the night, her 8-year-old son repeatedly contacted her because Yael was unwell and continued to vomit.

At around 1 a.m., the boy sent his mother a video showing the 3-year-old moaning and visibly distressed.

Prudencio responded that she would return home soon. However, prosecutors said she did not come back for another nine hours.

When she eventually arrived, all three children were in bed. Yael was dead.

During a subsequent police interview, Prudencio acknowledged that she knew about the seriousness of her son’s medical conditions and confirmed that she had received the messages from her eldest child.

Defense asks for leniency

Prudencio changed her plea to guilty without reaching a sentencing agreement with prosecutors.

Prosecutors said they could not agree to a deal because they believed several aggravating circumstances justified a sentence beyond the standard guidelines.

Her attorney, Peter Marano, argued that Prudencio deserved leniency. He described his client as a “child in an adult body” and said she had herself been a child in many ways when her son died.

Some of Marano’s arguments concerning mitigation were made privately at sidebar to protect Prudencio’s privacy. In open court, however, he said she had survived multiple abusive relationships as well as rape.

“There’s no positive outcome in this case for anyone,” Marano said. “At the end, this is a tragedy that began when she was born.”

Judge Wall ultimately imposed the four-to-six-year prison sentence, followed by three years of probation.

Her two surviving children

Prudencio’s two surviving children are now living with their grandmother, Prudencio’s mother.

Prosecutors said the Department of Children and Families has indicated that its goal is eventually to reunite the family.

The case leaves behind the death of a young child, two siblings who survived the ordeal, and a mother who will now serve a prison sentence after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment.