MYLEAHYA WOODS - 18 months - (2009) Pensacola FL

A Pensacola woman is charged with manslaughter in the death of her 18-month old baby.


According Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan, 21-year-old Christian
Woods left her three young children, a 2-year-old boy and 18-month-old
twin girls, home alone when she left for work in Mobile Friday night.
Woods left six cups of Jello on the floor for them to eat, but no juice
or water. They were also left alone in the dark. The home does not have
electricity or running water.

When Woods came home around 9:30 Monday morning, Sheriff Morgan says
one of the twins, Myleahya, was dead. Woods then called police and
reported her missing.


During the investigation, Woods told deputies that she left her three
kids with a babysitter. But her story just didn't make sense to
investigators. Sheriff Morgan says Woods eventually confessed to
leaving the children home alone. She also said Myleahya was dead when
she came back and that she put her body in the trash.

Deputies responded to the home on Scotland Circle and found the dead
girl's twin sister, Mykahla, under a bed. At first, they thought she
was also dead, but then noticed her eye's flutter.


Mykahla Woods

Mykahla and her 2-year-old brother Jaterius were both taken to the
hospital. They're both malnourished and dehydrated. Myleahya is in the
ICU.


Jaterius Woods

Woods is charged with manslaughter and two counts of felony child abuse.

An 18-month-old baby was found dead in a trash can Monday night.The child, Myleahya Woods, suffered severe malnutrition and neglect, a law enforcement source said today.
The child's twin sister,
Mykayhala, also was severely malnourished and is hospitalized with
pneumonia. The girls were found at a house in the 5600 block of
Scotland Circle in Bellview.A second, older child, a boy,
Jaterius Woods, 2, also is hospitalized. The surviving children are in
the custody of the Department of Children and Families. Caseworkers
will determine what will happen to the children once an investigation
is complete.The child's mother, Christian Woods, reported
Monday that the child had disappeared Friday. She had gone to Mobile
for the weekend, leaving the children home alone, Sheriff David Morgan
said. She returned home about 9:30 a.m. Monday, Morgan said.She
phoned the Sheriff's Office from a nearby Winn-Dixie and said the child
was missing. After intense questioning, she finally admitted she put
the child in the trash can.Woods has been charged with manslaughter and two counts of felony child abuse. She has a first court appearance Wednesday.Morgan described the house as a hovel.Woods left six containers of Jell-O for the children to eat. There was no water nor electricity in the home, he said.Crime Scene Unit investigators paraded in and out of Woods’ empty home this afternoon. The
house stands out in the quiet Bellview neighborhood, with its thick,
overgrown grass amid a neighborhood of well-kept lawns. The blinds are cracked and broken and a paring knife is lying in the driveway. On
the front porch, there’s an unopened box of 82 Parent’s Choice diapers.
There’s also a tiny, red ladybug costume lying above a tiny, tan lion
costume. Neighbors hardly knew Woods’ name and said she mostly kept to herself. Charlotte Potter, 56, has lived across the street from Woods since 1986. She said Woods lived there about a year. “She
talked real kind and real soft. I would have never guessed,” Potter
said. “It makes me just sick to my stomach though. I was never
fortunate to have kids of my own. I would have tried to help her if I
had known.” The Department of Children and Families has
visited the house in the past. There was a complaint of neglect
concerning the boy, said Janice Thomas, circuit administrator for the
Department of Children and Families.Thomas could not
provide details of the case, but a caseworker did not recommend the
child be removed from the house nor any court action.An autopsy was scheduled for today.The Medical Examiner's Office was called to the house about 4 a.m. today, Jeff Martin, office spokesman said.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:An 18-month-old baby was found dead in a trash can Monday night.The child, Myleahya Woods, suffered severe malnutrition and neglect, a law enforcement source said today.
The child's twin sister,
Mykayhala, also was severely malnourished and is hospitalized with
pneumonia. The girls were found at a house in the 5600 block of
Scotland Circle in Bellview.A second, older child, a boy,
Jaterius Woods, 2, also is hospitalized. The surviving children are in
the custody of the Department of Children and Families. Caseworkers
will determine what will happen to the children once an investigation
is complete.The child's mother, Christian Woods, reported
Monday that the child had disappeared Friday. She had gone to Mobile
for the weekend, leaving the children home alone, Sheriff David Morgan
said. She returned home about 9:30 a.m. Monday, Morgan said.She
phoned the Sheriff's Office from a nearby Winn-Dixie and said the child
was missing. After intense questioning, she finally admitted she put
the child in the trash can.Woods has been charged with manslaughter and two counts of felony child abuse. She has a first court appearance Wednesday.Morgan described the house as a hovel.Woods left six containers of Jell-O for the children to eat. There was no water nor electricity in the home, he said.Crime Scene Unit investigators paraded in and out of Woods’ empty home this afternoon. The
house stands out in the quiet Bellview neighborhood, with its thick,
overgrown grass amid a neighborhood of well-kept lawns. The blinds are cracked and broken and a paring knife is lying in the driveway. On
the front porch, there’s an unopened box of 82 Parent’s Choice diapers.
There’s also a tiny, red ladybug costume lying above a tiny, tan lion
costume. Neighbors hardly knew Woods’ name and said she mostly kept to herself. Charlotte Potter, 56, has lived across the street from Woods since 1986. She said Woods lived there about a year. “She
talked real kind and real soft. I would have never guessed,” Potter
said. “It makes me just sick to my stomach though. I was never
fortunate to have kids of my own. I would have tried to help her if I
had known.” The Department of Children and Families has
visited the house in the past. There was a complaint of neglect
concerning the boy, said Janice Thomas, circuit administrator for the
Department of Children and Families.Thomas could not
provide details of the case, but a caseworker did not recommend the
child be removed from the house nor any court action.An autopsy was scheduled for today.The Medical Examiner's Office was called to the house about 4 a.m. today, Jeff Martin, office spokesman said.

She left toddlers alone for a weekend?!?!?!?!? This woman deserves to starve and then fry...

An Escambia County Judge set bond at a total of
$1 million for the Pensacola mother charged in the death of her
18-month-old daughter after the girl was found dead in a trash can.

21-year-old Christian Woods, told Escambia County deputies Monday that
the girl had gone missing. The mother said she had gone to Mobile for
the weekend, leaving the
girl, her twin sister and a 2-year-old boy home alone. The Sheriff's
Office says she left six containers of Jell-O for the children to eat.
There was no water or electricity in the home.

Deputies say Woods eventually acknowledged putting Myleahya in the
trash can after finding her dead when she finally returned on Monday.

Bond was set at $500,000 for the manslaughter charge and $250,000 for each count of child abuse.

The judge appointed Woods a public defender who said his client will
not be able to afford that amount. If Woods is able to come up with the
money for bond, she will not be allowed to have any contact with her
two surviving children, Mykahla and Jaterius, until the case has been
resolved.

The State Attorney's Office
says Woods has family in the Pensacola area that could've helped care
for the kids. But she never asked for help and prosecutors say family
members didn't know what was going on.

Woods will be back in court November 6th.

Christian Woods sat with arms folded and head down Wednesday as she
awaited her first court appearance in the death of her daughter.
No family members or friends
showed up to support the 21-year-old. She is accused of stuffing the
body of one of her twin daughters — 18-month-old Myleahya Woods — in a
trash can. She also is accused of neglecting her other daughter,
Mykayhla, and her 2-year-old son, Jaterius.County
Court Judge John Simon set Woods' bond at $1 million — $500,000 on a
manslaughter charge and $250,000 each on two felony aggravated abuse
charges.On Wednesday, Jaterius was in good condition and Mykayhla was in fair condition at Sacred Heart Hospital.An
autopsy was performed on Myleahya, but the results have not been
released. The child weighed only 11 pounds, far underweight for her age."There
were indications that there was food in the house, which makes it even
more puzzling under the circumstances," Assistant State Attorney John
Molchan said. "The pantry was full, and the refrigerator was full."Being left unattended for a few days wouldn't account completely for Myleahya's condition.Dr.
James Sims, a Baptist Hospital neonatologist, said healthy 18-month-old
children generally weigh between 18 and 30 pounds. Most weigh about 25
pounds, he said."For
the child to have been that small, it would have taken a considerable
period — in all likelihood months — to have remained that small," said
Sims, director of newborn medical services at the hospital.'I was shocked'Before setting bond, the judge asked if anyone in the courtroom wanted to speak on Woods' behalf. No one stood up.Most
friends and family, including her parents, Roosevelt and Gloria Woods,
would not comment about Woods when contacted by the Pensacola News
Journal."What
happened to Myleahya was terrible," said Erica Cornelius, 20, Woods'
cousin who lives in Mobile. "I was shocked more than anything."Cornelius
said she didn't know Woods well. She first communicated with her two
weeks ago via the social networking site Facebook. "She's still my
family, and we love her."Woods
is suspected of leaving her children home alone from 10 a.m. Saturday
to 9:30 a.m. Monday with six cups of Jell-O in the living room. Woods
found Myleahya dead when she retuned home and put the girl's body in a
trash can behind her home in the 5600 block of Scotland Circle, the
Escambia County Sheriff's Office said.The
mother went to a Winn-Dixie on Monday and called the Sheriff's Office
at 2:33 p.m. to report that Myleahya was missing and possibly abducted,
the Sheriff's Office said.She
also called a grandparent and asked him to go to her home to get the
other children. The grandfather found only the 2-year-old boy at the
home, Morgan said.It wasn't until 2:17 a.m. Tuesday that investigators found the twin girls: Myleahya dead, and Mykayhla barely alive under a bed.Deputies are still trying to figure out Woods' whereabouts during the time the children were alone, Molchan said.Woods told deputies she went to work in Mobile, but her arrest report lists her as being employed.Court appearance

Molchan
asked for the $1 million bond, citing the serious charges that Woods
faces and concerns that she might not show up for future court
appearances."Well,
I think that any person who demonstrates that type of behavior
certainly has the potential for not showing in court when they simply
can can't even take care of their children," Molchan said.Assistant Public Defender Clint Davis asked for a lower bond, citing Woods' ties to the community.He said Woods has lived in Pensacola all of her life and her family lives here, too.Davis told the judge that Woods could not afford the bond, and it was tantamount to Woods being held without bond.Woods
said nothing about the case against her in court. She answered routine
questions from the judge about her employment and whether she could
afford an attorney.Woods also told the judge that she was employed at West Corporation.But a company spokesman said Woods worked there from June 1 to Aug. 24.Simon appointed the public defender to represent Woods.
If
Woods is released from jail, Simon ordered her not to contact her
children or have any contact with children under 18 years old. He also
told her not to consume alcohol or drugs.Woods' life

Little information could be pieced together about Woods' life.Woods,
a former student at Pensacola and Pine Forest high schools, has had
several jobs at local fast food restaurants, including a Wendy's and a
McDonald's.She twice filed for restraining orders against Jaterius' father, Everett Weathers, in 2007. Weathers refused to comment.She
and the children lived in a Bellview neighborhood home with thick,
overgrown grass. The inside was described in a Sheriff's Office report
as "filthy" and roach-infested.There
was no running water. The electricity was disconnected at 1:45 p.m.
Monday for nonpayment, said Jeff Rogers, a Gulf Power spokesman.Charmion
Price of North Port is listed as owner of the property where Woods
lives, according to the Escambia County Property Appraiser's Office.
Contacted via Facebook, Price said she is in Iraq and had no comment.Woods is listed as one of Price's Facebook friends.There did appear to be some normalcy to Woods' life; she had profiles on both MySpace and Facebook.Woods
last logged on to her MySpace account Monday. Her status was
"tryntomake right." A small photograph that accompanied the private
account shows a smiling Woods with what appeared to be a little boy.Woods' cousin, Cornelius, said she and Woods exchanged some messages via Facebook.Cornelius said "differences within the family" had prevented the two from meeting in person."She
was a sweet girl. She had told me that she had a set of twins and a
little boy," Cornelius said. "I didn't know she was having any
problems."

The oldest of three children left alone for days inside an Escambia
County home was released from Sacred Heart Hospital Thursday night, a
hospital spokesman said.Jaterius Woods, 2, was placed in a foster home after his release from the hospital. His
little sister, 18-month-old sister Mykayhla, remained in fair condition
at Sacred Heart Friday, hospital spokesman Mike Burke said.The
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office found their 18-month-sister Myleahya
Woods’ body stuffed in a garbage can behind a home in the 5600 block of
Scotland Circle early Tuesday morning. Deputies found Myleahya’s twin
sister, Mykayhla, under a bed, barely alive.Christian
Woods, 21, the children’s mother, is charged with manslaughter in
Myleahya’s death. She is charged with aggravated child abuse due to the
neglect of Mykayhla and Jaterius. She remains in the Escambia County Jail on $1 million bond.Janice
Thomas, regional director of the Department of Children and Families
said where the children ultimately will end up is undetermined, but the
agency would like to keep the siblings together once Mykayhla recovers.“The
plan is for us to look for any relatives interested in providing care
and then we would go through the process of doing background checks and
home studies to determine whether they are appropriate,” Thomas said.
“We know we will be involved with these children’s lives for a long
time.”An autopsy was performed Wednesday on Myleahya. It could be eight weeks before the toxicology test results are available.Christian
Woods’ attorney, Assistant Public Defender Clint Davis, said Friday
that his office intends to order an extensive mental health evaluation
for his client.Davis characterized his client a clinically depressed single mother who was raising three children on her own without any help.“She
was working and trying but with very little means,” he said. “She’s not
a wholly evil person, but I think that is the public perception. She’s
completely destitute.”
Woods will be arraigned Nov. 6 before Circuit Judge Frank Bell.

A woman charged in the death of one of her children and the neglect of two others pleaded not guilty Friday.Christian
Woods, 21, is accused of leaving her three children home alone for two
days with six cups of Jell-O to eat. Woods initially called law
enforcement to report 18-month-old Myleahya Woods' missing. Escambia
County sheriff's investigators found Myleahya's body Oct. 13 stuffed in
a garbage can behind a Scotland Circle home. Deputies found Myleahya's
twin sister, Mykayhla, barely alive.Woods is charged with manslaughter in Myleahya's death and with aggravated child abuse of Mykayhla and brother, Jaterius, 2.Woods is due back in court Feb. 16 with a tentative trial date of March 1.

The Escambia County woman accused of throwing her dead infant
daughter in the trash and leaving two of her other children alone while
she reported them missing has pleaded not guilty.
Christian Rochelle Woods, 21, entered the plea in Escambia County
Circuit Court on Friday as her friends and families told the judge that
she is a good mother. She is due back in court in February with her
trial scheduled to being March 1. She remains in the Escambia County
Jail on $250,000 bond.
Woods is charged with manslaughter and two counts of child abuse for
leaving the children, ages 18-month and two years, home alone for two
days in a home with no power or water. The children were left with only
a few cups of Jello to eat.
Authorities said that the little girl found in the trashcan,
Myleahya Woods (pictured left), weighed just 11 pounds. Prosecutors say
she starved to death. The other two children found in the home,
Myleahya ’s twin sister, Mykayhala (pictured right) and Jaterius
Woods, 2, were also severely malnourished. When deputies found
Mykayhala under a bed in the filthy Escambia County home, she was in a
coma. Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said deputies first thought
Mykayhala was dead until her eyes fluttered.
Woods
called deputies to report that her children were missing. But deputies
became suspicious. They found Jaterius and arrested Woods on child
neglect charges because he showed what they said was obvious signs of
abuse. About 12 hours after her arrest, Woods admitted that Myleahya
was dead in a trashcan on the back porch of her home.
Prosecutors said Woods’ family members had no idea what was going on with the children, and that she never asked for help.

Bond for a mother accused of disposing her baby's body in a trash can was reduced on Monday from $1 million to $250,000.Christian
Woods, 21, who is charged with manslaughter, has been jailed since her
Oct. 14 arrest. She is accused of leaving her three children home alone
for two days with six cups of Jell-O to eat.Woods
initially called law enforcement to report 18-month-old Myleahya Woods
missing. Escambia County deputies found the baby's body on Oct. 13
stuffed in a garbage can behind a Scotland Circle home.The
baby's twin sister, Mykayhla, was found barely alive under a bed.
Two-year-old brother Jaterius, 2, was taken from the home by a relative.Woods also is charged with aggravated child abuse of Mykayhla and Jaterius.The
two children are in the care of their father's family, said Janice
Thomas, regional director of the Florida Department of Children and
Families.During a hearing Monday, Public Defender James Owens asked Circuit Judge Terry Terrell to consider a $10,000 bond.Woods'
family members let out a hushed groan and sighed when Terrell set the
$250,000 bond. A bondsman would require $25,000 for her release.Owens presented nine witnesses, including Woods.Woods
sobbed and could barely speak as Assistant State Attorney John Molchan
asked her standard questions, such as her name and age.Gloria
Woods, the defendant's mother, said that less than a month before
Myleahya was found dead, her daughter brought the grandchildren to her
house."How did they look to you?" Molchan asked."They seemed to be very hungry and I fed them at that time," she said.She said that she had no contact with her daughter up until the day police found Myleahya.Escambia
County sheriff's investigator Troy Brown said the Medical Examiner's
Office reported that it would take more than two months of malnutrition
and neglect for the children to reach the state that they were in when
deputies discovered them.Molchan noted that well-meaning family members would have helped Woods and her children had she asked.James Cunningham, her uncle, shook his head when Molchan asked whether Woods sought help from her family."I'm sorry to say, no, she didn't," he said.Family
members said they would support Woods and guaranteed that she would
make her court appearances. If she posts the $250,000 bond, Woods will
not be allowed any contact with her children, Terrell said.

An attorney asked a judge to toss out the confessions of a woman charged
with neglecting her children and discarding the dead body of one of
those children in a trash can.
Christian Woods confessed to investigators that she filed a false
report that her 18-month-old daughter was kidnapped, but after more than
10 hours of interviews, she said that Myleahya Woods was dead and her
two other children likely were still alive, arrest reports say.Assistant Public
Defender Jerome Smiley says in a motion filed Thursday that Escambia
County Sheriff's investigator Buddy Guy coerced a confession from the
mother after she asked to speak with an attorney."Even if he did administer the warnings, and even if
he now remembers that he did, it is of no consequence," Smiley wrote in
his motion. "His prodding of (Woods) after she invoked her right to
counsel was improper and unconstitutional."Woods left her three children home alone for two days
with six containers of opened Jell-O to eat, arrest reports say.Woods initially called
the Sheriff's Office to report Myleahya missing. Investigators found the
child's body Oct. 13 in a garbage can behind a Scotland Circle home.Deputies found
Myleahya's twin sister, Mykayhla, and the girls' brother, Jaterius, 2,
barely alive in the home. Both children survived.Woods is charged with manslaughter in Myleahya's
death and with aggravated child abuse of Mykayhla and Jaterius. She
remains in Escambia County Jail on $500,000 bond.During the hours of questioning, Woods gave
conflicting stories about what happened to the children, investigators
said. She finally admitted that Myleahya was dead, and she thought
Mykayhla was still alive, he said.The officers read Woods her Miranda rights, but the
questions continued, as did the hours-long search for the missing
children.The
defense argues that Guy continued to question Woods, telling her that
she "needed to do the right thing," according to the motion filed
Thursday.Guy told
Woods that investigators needed to know where the child was so she
could receive a proper burial.Smiley cited case law that says, "The use of the
'Christian burial technique' by law enforcement personnel is
unquestionably a blatant coercive and deceptive ploy."Assistant State Attorney John Molchan said he hadn't
seen the motion as of Friday and could not comment.Circuit Judge Terry Terrell will hear arguments from
both attorneys, but no date has been set.Woods' next court date is June 22.

This girl got pregnant the first time at 18 and got pregnant again to a different guy as soon as she was out of hospital after the birth of her first child. The second birth was with twins. At 21 years old she had 3 children under 3 years old. All the doctors, nurses, midwifes, her family, friends, colleagues and neigbours failed miserably to ensure these children would be safe. How did any of the hospital people think it was safe to send her home with the twins when she already had a 1 year old? She had already shown she lacked good judgment and was irresponsible and immature but nobody worried about these babies welfare. Our entire community is at fault here and needs to take more responsibility for the welfare of children. Her extended family are especially pathetic.

Missing Pensacola Twins Found- One Dead- Mother Arrested

Myleaha and Mykayhla Woods, 18 months, were left alone with their brother Jaterius, 2, by their mother for the weekend in the family home. The home had no electricity or running water and the only food located on the floor of the kitchen in the home were 6 cups of jello.

Woods reported 2 of her children missing, and investigators were called to the scene as her story did not add up. She was in custody for 12 hours before she admitted one of the twin girls, Myleaha, was deceased and could be found in the trash can at the residence.

The surviving children, Mykayla and Jaterius Woods, have been admitted to the Hospital for treatment of pneumonia and malnutrition.

Woods myspace title “Lifes short so I live mine to tha fullest is set to private.

http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/10/13/missing-pensacola-twins-found-one-dead-mother-arrested/

207	05/02/2011	COURT EVENT SET Event: JURY SELECTION Date: 05/09/2011 Time: 8:30 am Judge: TERRELL, TERRY D Location: M.C. BLANCHARD JUDICIAL BUILDING
208	05/02/2011	RECIPROCAL DISCOVERY FILED

http://www.escambiaclerk.com/xml/xml.asp?ucase_id=45850191

The trial of a woman accused of neglecting her children and throwing a
baby in trash was postponed due to the death of her attorney, Assistant
State Attorney Greg Marcille said.Jury selection was expected to begin today in the case of Christian Woods.Woods,
23, of Pensacola is charged with manslaughter in the death of her
daughter, 18-month-old Myleahya Woods. She also is charged with
aggravated child abuse of Mykayhla, who is Myleahya’s twin, and the
girls’ brother, Jaterius.Her attorney, Assistant Public
Defender Jerome Smiley, died April 22 The case was reassigned to
Assistant Public Defender Clint Davis.The case was postponed until Aug. 22, the Clerk of Court’s Office said.Investigators
said Woods left her children home alone from 10 a.m. Oct. 10 to 9:30
a.m. on Oct. 12. Woods found Myleahya dead when she retuned home and put
the girl’s body in the trash, investigators said.Investigators
talked to Woods for more than 10 hours before placing her under arrest
and reading her rights, according to the defense’s motion.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20110509/NEWS01/110509007/Death-attorney-delays-manslaughter-trial?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

215	05/09/2011	NOTICE OF INTENT TO RELY ON MENTAL HEALTH DEFENSE OTHER THAN INSANITY
216	05/10/2011	DEFENDANT'S CORRESPONDENCE FILED (COVERS 09-4984, 09-4985)
217	05/20/2011	ORDER DISMISSING LETTER TREATED AS A MOTION TO DISCHARGE COURT APPOINTED COUNSEL
218	05/25/2011	AMENDED DISCOVERY EXHIBIT FILED

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08/09/2011

9:00:00 AM

9:00:00 AM

DOCKET DAY

TERRELL , TERRY D

http://www.escambiaclerk.com/xml/xml.asp?ucase_id=45850191

08/22/2011 COURT EVENT SET
Event: SENTENCINGS
Date: 10/03/2011 Time: 1:30 pm
Judge: TERRELL, TERRY D Location: M.C. BLANCHARD JUDICIAL BUILDING
242 08/22/2011 JUDGE TERRELL
243 08/22/2011 DEFT IN CUSTODY (PRESENT IN COURT)
244 08/22/2011 PLED NOLO CONTENDERE
245 08/22/2011 PLEA ACCEPTED AFTER INTERROGATION
246 08/22/2011 PRE-SENTENCE INVESTIGATION ORDERED, RET: 9/28/2011 DUE TO ALL PARTIES AND SET FOR 10/3/2011 1:30 SENTENCING
247 08/22/2011 COURT REQUET TONY HENDERSON TO BE NOTIFIED BY DOC PRIOR TO DEFENDANT'S INTERVIEW FOR PSI - MR. HENDERSON REQUEST TO BE PRESENT

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Mother to serve 15 years in prison
One-year-old dies after being left alone for days
11:00 PM, Oct. 3, 2011

Christian Woods holds a certificate of completion for a parenting class and some photos of her kids Monday after Judge Terry Terrell sentenced her to 15 years in prison followed by 30 years of probation for the charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child in the 2009 death of her daughter.

Christian Woods was described Monday as a loving and doting mother of three who fell on rough times just before she stuffed her dead daughter in a trash can in 2009.

Woods, 23, left her three young children home alone from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12. When she returned, Myleahya Woods, 1, was dead. Woods was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Woods' family members testified during a two-hour sentencing hearing Monday that she should be treated for depression rather than go to prison for Myleahya's death.

Instead, Judge Terry Terrell sentenced Woods to 15 years in prison and 30 years of probation in the death.

The sentence also covers two counts of child neglect causing great bodily harm that Woods was charged with involving her other young children — Mykayhla, Myleahya's twin, and the girls' brother, Jaterius.

"In balancing all the interests, there is not a sentence that is going to be satisfactory to everyone but at this time I do find there is basis for a somewhat mitigated sentence," the judge said.

Woods pleaded no contest to the charges. The maximum sentence she could have received was 60 years.

Woods' mother, Gloria Woods, said her daughter is a protective parent who makes a big deal out of her children's birthdays.

She testified that sending her daughter to prison would be traumatic for her and the family.

"I know what happened is a crime," Gloria Woods said. "I also know that I don't want to see Chrissy go to prison."

Christian Woods apologized before she was sentenced.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "If I knew that Myleahya would have died, if I knew that Mykayhla would almost die ... I would have done everything differently."

Woods said she got into financial difficulty when her boyfriend left her in 2009.

"He said he didn't want to play father to my children anymore," she said.

Woods said her car was repossessed and she lost her job.

She said she went to friends for financial help and they bought food stamps from her. She said she also allowed someone to grow marijuana in her home for cash.

Assistant Public Defender Clint Davis said except for a period in 2009 between September and October, Woods was a good mother. He said that is when she went on a downward spiral of depression and "everything in her world fell apart."

The siblings were left alone at a home in the 5600 block of Scotland Circle that didn't have electricity or running water. Jell-O cups were left in the living room for the children to eat.

When Woods returned home Oct. 12, she found Myleahya dead and put the girl's body in the trash.

She called the Escambia County Sheriff's Office to report Myleahya missing.

Investigators questioned Woods for about 12 hours before she admitted that Myleahya was dead, and she thought Mykayhla still was alive.

Assistant State Attorney Lee Robinson said Woods misled investigators concerning the whereabouts of the children before telling them the twins were at the home.

Investigators found Myleahya in a trash can behind the home. Mykayhla was in a bedroom barely alive.

"(Christian Woods) didn't have any problems taking caring of herself, but she left them to die," Robinson said.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20111004/NEWS01/110040311/Mother-serve-15-years-prison?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE