Kaitlyn Kuhn, 33, was sentenced this week in Belmont County after accepting a plea agreement on a child-endangerment charge. She had faced a possible sentence of up to three years in prison before the two-year term was agreed upon.
The case stems from the death of Kuhn’s 9-month-old child on Nov. 29, 2025, at a home in Belmont County, Ohio.
According to authorities, Kuhn was sleeping in the same bed as the baby when she rolled onto the child during the night. Emergency responders were called to the home and found the infant dead. Investigators determined that the baby had suffocated while sleeping with Kuhn.
Belmont County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Vavra said during the case that drugs were detected in Kuhn’s system. No drugs were found at the home, according to the information presented in court.
Prosecutors said the circumstances raised concerns about decisions that could have prevented the tragedy.
The case remained in court for several months before reaching its resolution. Kuhn had been arraigned earlier in 2026 and initially pleaded not guilty to the child-endangerment charge. The case was ultimately resolved through a plea agreement that resulted in the two-year prison sentence.
At sentencing, Kuhn was given an opportunity to address the court but chose not to speak.
Her public defender acknowledged the seriousness of the loss and said the death was a terrible incident that Kuhn would have to live with for the rest of her life.
The sentence brings the criminal case to a significant point, but the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death remain a painful part of the case. The child’s death followed an overnight sleeping arrangement that authorities said ended with Kuhn unintentionally rolling onto the baby.
Kuhn will serve the two-year prison term under the sentence accepted by the court.
