Woman gets 18 years for daughter's death

Jessica Rivera investigated by DCF 5 years before girl's June 2011 death

Jessica Rivera is arraigned on a charge of manslaughter.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The mother of a mentally disabled teen who died after being found malnourished and covered with lice in her Jacksonville home has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

As part of a deal with Duval County prosecutors, 32-year-old Jessica Rivera pleaded guilty this week to two counts of child neglect. She had initially been charged with manslaughter.

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Authorities say 13-year-old Romana Bones was found unresponsive in her Woodland Acres home in June 2011. She was removed from the home but died a week later. 

Romana's three younger siblings were taken into state custody.

An autopsy said Romana weighed just 66 pounds and suffered from organ failure as a result of a massive infection. Coroners also found hemorrhaging of her heart caused by pancreatitis and pneumonia.

Prosecutors say Rivera didn't do enough to help her daughter, who had the mental capacity of a 5 to 7-year-old child.

According to new documents from DCF, the department had first looked into Rivera case in 2007. DCF was called to a Putnam County home where Romana Bones lived with her mother and other siblings. Investigators noted that the trailer they lived in was falling apart, and "should be condemned."

Investigative summaries: 2011 | 2008 | 2007

There were holes in the walls and broken windows. Investigators also said Bones had head lice. Investigators also noted that they were concerned because Rivera was smoking marijuana in the home around the children.

A second report concerns an incident where Romana was found naked in the yard. The report went on to say the girl also had stitches, which had turned into an open wound, but Rivera did not get the child medical care.

It also described the home as a "mess, with food, trash and clothes everywhere," and that the "kids always appear dirty and appear to have weight loss."

In 2008, an inspection of the home revealed hundreds of flies, and revealed that the kids were sick, but it's unknown if the sickness was related to the flies. Many times within the reports, it stated that Rivera had complied with the case plan and that the case was closed.

"DCF had last received a report regarding the family three years before the child's death. This child's death was a tragedy but we depend on the community, people who knew that family to report any problems to us so that we could take action," said John Harrell with DCF. "Regarding the 2008 reports, there was a case plan and the judge decided to close the case plan. That decision was made by a Judge in Putnam County. The mother had made significant progress in her efforts in that case plan."