A North Texas mother is facing six decades in prison after admitting to abusing her child by faking illnesses.
Investigators said 32-year-old Jesika Jones overdosed her 4-year-old child on Benadryl and prescription medications to cause symptoms of seizures in the child. Investigators said Jones took her child to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth on several occasions, saying her child was having seizures.
In July 2022, police accused Jones of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, an illness in which a caregiver makes up symptoms about another person's medical condition to gain attention.
On Jan. 10, Jones pled guilty to four felonies, including one count of injury to a child with serious bodily injury and three counts of endangering a child.
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"Unfortunately, I believe you are a determined recidivist that as recently as a month ago was persisting in the behavior to which you pled guilty in January and are asking for mercy," said 485th District Court Judge Steve Jumes while announcing Jones's sentence. "Because you are a determined recidivist and because I believe that you have a knack for finding situations where you can have access to children, I'm not confident giving you a prison sentence simply to [go] beyond a traditional dating range will protect the public. It is the court sentence that you will receive 60 years in prison."
During victim allocution, Jones's ex-husband, Derek Jones, addressed her in the courtroom.
"Today, I stand before you as the voice of my children who have suffered deeply at the hands of you. The scars of your betrayal run deep, not only affecting their well-being but also robbing them of the joyful childhood they deserved. What you did was not just an act of cruelty; it was a devastating assault on their innocence. I urge you to see beyond the surface and acknowledge the profound and lasting impact of your actions on innocent lives," the father said. "Instead of exploring new places, making friends, and engaging in adventures, their lives were dominated by the restraints of fake sickness. Every playdate was replaced with a hospital visit. Every carefree moment [was] overshadowed by caution and fear."
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After the hearing, Derek Jones said the sentencing was appropriate and was handled how it should have been. He said his children are thriving and are getting better all the time, and he briefly talked about his own trauma of learning about the deception around the health of his children.
"Sleepless nights of worrying about them and come to find out it was all made up. She was making them have seizures. I can't fathom why somebody would want to do that. That's the hard part to understand," Derek Jones said.
Derek Jones and his attorney both said Munchausen cases are more common than people think and don't often get the attention they deserve.
"These cases do need to be taken better care of. They need to have more light shone on them. Our kids matter," Derek Jones said.
Anyone aware of a child, adult or elder being abused or neglected is obligated by state law to report those allegations. Abuse can be reported to the local police or the Texas Department of Family Services Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. The toll-free hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Reports for non-emergency situations can also be filed online.
