A Michigan woman charged in connection with the 2023 starvation death of her 2-year-old son has been sentenced.

Sierra Zaitona was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree abuse. Zaitona pleaded no contest in February 2025. On Wednesday, she was sentenced to 24 to 50 years in prison for the murder charge and 43 months to 10 years for the abuse charge.

Authorities say the child was found dead in his crib on March 16, 2023. A medical examiner determined the cause of death as fatal starvation. 

The boy's father, Jonathan Cheek, also pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and child abuse. Cheek was sentenced in December 2024 to 24 to 50 years for second-degree murder and 86 months to 10 years on second-degree child abuse charge. 

"This is a heartbreaking and profoundly sad case. A two-year-old child, full of potential and deserving of love and care, was failed in the most devastating way. No sentence can bring back this innocent life, but hopefully, the family can begin to heal," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said after the father was sentenced.