Soldier mom who ordered ‘afterlife’ photos of toddler she beat to death gets life in prison

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (TCN) -- A 33-year-old mother has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury found her found guilty of first-degree murder and felonious child abuse in connection with the 2015 death of her 2-year-old daughter.

According to a press release from the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys, toddler Macy Ditty was taken to the hospital on Dec. 2, 2015, and medical staff noticed extensive bruising that indicated abuse. Ditty’s CT scan showed brain injuries had occurred eight to 24 hours prior, when the child was in the sole care of her mother, Jeanie Ditty, an active-duty member of the United States Army. Her father was serving overseas at the time and Macy Ditty was kept alive on life support until he was able to return home. She was pronounced dead on Dec. 4, 2015, shortly before her third birthday.

After the child’s death but before the autopsy findings were released, Jeanie Ditty contacted a photographer to take images with the toddler at a cemetery, WRAL reports. She told Sunny Jo, the photographer, that the child had choked to death on a banana. 

Jo offered his services for free because he thought she was a grieving mother, the New York Post reports. His “One More Time” photo package, which includes a translucent picture of an angel next to a photo of the grieving loved one, typically costs between $300 and $500.

An autopsy found that Macy Ditty had died from blunt force trauma and ruled her death a homicide; the findings were released in March 2016, according to the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. Ditty was then arrested and charged.

Ditty initially went to trial in 2020, and a forensic pathologist stated her child had been struck 40 separate times leading to her death, according to N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. The trial ended in a hung jury and a new trial date was scheduled to start on Aug. 10, 2026.

The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit began another investigation in March after receiving a report that a 2-year-old had sustained injuries to the face, the Jacksonville Daily News reports. Ditty, who was on pretrial release, was arrested in May and charged with felony child abuse. According to the Daily News, Ditty is the mother of the child who allegedly sustained facial injuries. WITN reports she posted $250,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court for that case in December. 

According to court records obtained by the Fayetteville Observer, a jury found Ditty guilty of first-degree murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury in Macy Ditty’s case on Aug. 20. The New York Post reports the jury reached a verdict after three hours of deliberation.

Ditty was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, plus 157 to 201 months for the child abuse charge, according to the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys.

According to WITN, Ditty and her team filed an appeal following her conviction.

An obituary for Macy Ditty reads, “Though she was only 2, Macy Grace touched many lives. Macy Grace is in heaven with her maker watching over her loved ones here on earth.”

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