Mother sentenced to 42 years for neglect in connection with death of 4-year-old son

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. - A mother was sentenced to 42 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections for her role in the neglect and eventual death of her four-year-old son in 2021, according to the La Porte County Circuit Court.

Mary Yoder was sentenced for two of her four charges, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and failure to make a report. Her other two charges, for neglect of a dependent – abandonment and cruelty to an animal, were dismissed as part of her plea agreement.

The victim, 4-year-old Judah Morgan, was found naked and bruised under a blanket at a home in Hamlet on October 11, 2021. His cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma.

In November 2022 his father, Alan Morgan, was sentenced to 68 years for his battery and murder.

Yoder told police that before his death, Judah was sent to the basement naked because he wasn’t potty trained. There, he was bound with duct tape and physically abused. She said she was aware of what Alan was doing to Judah but was afraid of him.