Peoria Standard

October 10, 2024, Peoria, IL – Zenai Denise Lashayla Wolford, aged 19, has pleaded guilty to Endangering the Life or Health of a Child following the death of her nine-month-old son in July. According to the plea agreement, Wolford will serve a three-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The incident occurred on July 26 when Wolford was putting her son to sleep. Drugs accidentally fell from her clothing into the crib without her knowledge. The baby ingested the drugs and later died. Throughout the investigation, Wolford cooperated with police and expressed distress over the incident. Due to the unintentional nature of the act and lack of awareness regarding the drugs' presence in the crib, murder charges were not applicable. The plea ensures that Wolford serves time in prison; otherwise, she would have been eligible for probation.