The Dylewski criminally negligent homicide case concluded with maximum prison sentences for both parents after a New York state court heard that their three-year-old daughter, Joycelynn, died amid conditions of acute neglect in the family’s Corinth apartment.
Matthew Dylewski, 34, and Samantha Dylewski, 33, each received 16 months to four years in state prison, the maximum available under their pleas. Matthew pleaded guilty in March and was sentenced on 22 June, according to WAMC. Samantha entered her guilty plea on 31 March and was sentenced separately, the Times Union reports.
Both pleas were to felony criminally negligent homicide in connection with Joycelynn’s death.
What Investigators Found in the Corinth Apartment
First responders attended the family’s apartment on 19 February 2025 after the parents reported that Joycelynn was having difficulty breathing. She was pronounced dead at hospital, and her manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The Saratoga County Sheriff told reporters that Joycelynn died of acute and chronic neglect, according to WAMC. Saratoga County First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley told the court that investigators from the New York State Police reported their boots stuck to the apartment floors. The kitchen sink was clogged with what the Sheriff described as ‘sludge.’ Walls, carpets, and floors were stained throughout, and the property was overrun by lice and other insects.
Dan Shippee, who owns the cleaning company engaged to clear the apartment after the couple’s arrests, told local CBS affiliate WRGB: ‘I’ve never really been in too many places where I had to shovel so much trash off the floor. There were dead flies and bugs all over that apartment.’ He added that ‘people need to see to understand why that little girl died.’
The apartment was condemned on the day the Dylewskis were arraigned. Four other children had been living in the home.
The Dylewski Criminally Negligent Homicide Charges: Joycelynn’s Medical Condition
Joycelynn’s lice infestation was so severe that she became anaemic. Samantha Dylewski told investigators she had struggled to apply treatment because the little girl ‘fought her too much.’ Joycelynn’s teeth were black and rotten, her hair was matted, and she had received no regular medical care.
Clonidine, a blood pressure medication, was found in Joycelynn’s system at the time of her death. She had no diagnosed heart condition and had never been prescribed the drug. Buckley told the court that while Samantha Dylewski initially attributed the clonidine to one of the other children, investigators recovered text messages in which the couple discussed giving the medication to Joycelynn.
At sentencing, the presiding judge told Samantha Dylewski: ‘All of your children suffered at your hands.’ The judge was reported by the Times Union to have been unsympathetic to her statements in court.
CBS6 Albany reported that Matthew Dylewski admitted responsibility at the time of his guilty plea in March.
Calls for Legislative Reform
The sentencing has prompted calls for statutory change at the state level. New York lawmakers have advocated for legislation referred to as ‘Joycelynn’s Law,’ which would impose longer prison sentences in cases involving the negligent death of a child, according to News10.
Under existing New York law, criminally negligent homicide is a class E felony. The maximum sentence available on that charge, 16 months to four years, is the term both Dylewskis received. Proponents of Joycelynn’s Law argue that ceiling is insufficient where the victim is a child and the neglect is prolonged.
The Saratoga County investigation also led to the condemnation of the property and the removal of the four surviving children from the home. Whether ‘Joycelynn’s Law’ advances through the New York State Legislature will determine whether future cases of this kind carry a heavier sentencing exposure.
