Parents Sentenced to Four Years in Prison After Their Daughter Dies From Severe Lice Infestation

A three-year-old girl died after suffering from a severe lice infestation that left her anaemic and damaged her heart and other organs inside her family’s home in upstate New York.

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The little girl, identified as Joycelynn Dylewski, was found struggling to breathe inside her family’s apartment in Corinth, about an hour outside Albany, on February 19, 2025. She was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.

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A medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide, citing deeply disturbing evidence of acute and chronic neglect.

Her parents, Matthew and Samantha Dylewski, have now pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in connection with their youngest daughter’s death. They were each sentenced to up to four years in state prison this month.

During the court proceedings, it emerged that Joycelynn had suffered from such a severe lice infestation that she developed anaemia, a condition that affected her heart and other organs. Clonidine, a medication used to treat high blood pressure, was also found in her system.

Investigators also discovered other insects, including a dead cockroach, on the child’s body. Her teeth were described as rotten and black.

During the investigation, Samantha reportedly told authorities that Joycelynn resisted when she tried to apply treatment to her lice-infested scalp.

She also claimed that clonidine pills had been left out by her son, allowing the little girl to ingest them.

However, Saratoga County First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley told the court that text messages between Samantha and her husband showed they had discussed the medication.

According to Buckley, the messages indicated that Matthew had told Samantha she could give the drug to Joycelynn shortly before the child’s death.

Samantha also claimed that her daughter had a weak heart, but Buckley told the court that medical findings showed Joycelynn’s heart was normal.

The investigation also uncovered the condition of the family’s apartment, which was described as filthy and poorly maintained.

The walls were covered in grime, garbage was scattered across the rooms, and the carpets were stained and matted. Flies, rotting food and a kitchen sink clogged with dirt and waste were also found inside the property.

Photographs released by Phoenix Property Maintenance, the cleaning company brought in after Joycelynn’s death, showed the extent of the conditions inside the apartment.

One photograph showed expired food and wrappers scattered across a bedroom, while another captured garbage bags and crumbs surrounding a teal couch, with children’s toys also visible.

During Samantha’s sentencing in early June, Saratoga County Judge James R. Davis described the couple’s presentence report as the most horrific he had ever read, according to the Times Union.

Addressing Samantha as she sobbed in court, the judge said:

‘Your daughter suffered over a long period of time.

‘Even the other children could see that she suffered because of your neglect. It’s a gift to have a child.’ You had several children, and all of them suffered at your hands.’

Samantha’s defence attorney, Matthew Maiello, did not address the court during the sentencing. However, she spoke about her daughter’s death, saying she loved her children and did not understand how the situation had reached that point.

She told the court:

“As their mother, it’s my duty to protect them from harm, and I failed. I also failed my other children. Many things have happened things that I should have know to do and actions I should have taken.

“Since that day, I can’t find the words to express all my emotions I feel, but I don’t want sympathy. I do not want forgiveness. I don’t deserve any of that. The only thing I’ll ever want is my baby girl”

Matthew also addressed the court during his sentencing on Monday, expressing regret over his daughter’s death.

He said:

“I totally wish that it didn’t happen. I wish it would be that I died instead of my daughter. I still think that to this day. I constantly think about it.

“Nothing is ever going to change. I still want to die so I can be with her.

Following the couple’s sentencing, New York State Senator James Tedisco and Assemblyman Matt Simpson proposed new legislation named Joycelynn’s Law.

If passed, the proposed legislation would increase the maximum prison sentence for criminally negligent homicide from the current limit to 20 years.

The proposal comes after the death of the three-year-old, whose case exposed the severe neglect she endured before her final moments.