Mom fatally poisoned toddler using bottle spiked with sleep meds after losing custody

HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minn. (TCN) -- A 24-year-old woman has been sentenced to more than 31 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the fatal poisoning of her 18-month-old daughter amid a custody battle.

According to court records obtained by KSTP, first responders arrived at a home on Jan. 9 after receiving a call that a child was not breathing. De’Ali Blia Delgado, 18 months old, was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. Her mother, Maige Yang, was also found inside the home, reportedly having attempted to take her own life.

KFGO reported at the time that Yang was arrested after she was released from the hospital. According to police, she was charged with second-degree murder.

Investigators learned that Yang had lost custody of Delgado the day the toddler was discovered. Her father had been given temporary custody, per KSTP. Following the custody hearing, Yang put sleep medication in Delgado’s bottle and said it was “to make the pain go away.” She told interviewers her hope was that Delgado would die peacefully in her sleep. 

Yang and Delgado were discovered when Delgado’s father arrived at the home to check on them, forced open the door, and found Delgado turning blue on the floor. He then dialed 911, according to KSTP.

In June, Yang pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and was sentenced Sept. 1 to 380 months in prison with 196 days of credit for time already served, according to KSTP.

According to Delgado’s obituary, “From the very beginning, De’Ali was deeply loved and fiercely protected. Her daddy fought with all his heart for her, and losing her so suddenly has left a space that words can never fully fill. To him, she was his little ‘Chunky Monkey’ and his ‘Mamas.’ Every time he held her, he would gently tell her, ‘You’re so beautiful,’ and she truly was.”

MORE: