Aunt Who Kept Her Niece and Nephew's Decomposing Bodies in Her Car Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison

A Maryland woman has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after police discovered the decomposing bodies of her niece and nephew in the trunk of her car during a routine traffic stop in 2021.

The tragic case began in 2019 when the children's mother, Dachelle Johnson, left her two kids—7-year-old Joshlyn Johnson and 5-year-old Larry O'Neil III—in the care of her sister, Nicole Michelle Johnson, CBS News reported.

Dachelle had moved to Maryland from Dayton, Ohio, and later attempted to reunite with her children, but her sister had vanished.

Unbeknownst to their mother, both children died while in Nicole Johnson's custody, and their bodies remained hidden in the trunk of her car for months.

The crime was uncovered on July 28, 2021, when police in Essex, Maryland, pulled Johnson over for speeding and driving an unregistered vehicle with fake tags. As officers prepared to tow her car, they noticed a foul odor.

When asked to remove her belongings from the trunk, Johnson attempted to conceal a suitcase and a plastic tote, both filled with decomposing remains.

Authorities determined that Joshlyn had died in May 2020 after being severely beaten by her aunt, while Larry had died in May 2021 after falling asleep and never waking up.

Autopsies revealed the children were severely malnourished, with Joshlyn weighing just 18 pounds and Larry 21 pounds at the time of their deaths.

Johnson was immediately arrested and later pleaded guilty to child abuse charges. On Monday, she was sentenced to life in prison, with all but 50 years suspended.

Authorities continue to examine how the children went unnoticed for so long. With no formal custody agreement in place and schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the children fell through the cracks.