Louisiana Mother Gets Life for Abandoning Children on Side of Road Before Hurricane

A woman in Lake Charles, Louisiana, will spend the rest of her life in prison following the death of one of her children after she abandoned both of them on the side of the road in the leadup to Hurricane Beryl in July 2024.

Aaliyah Jack was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years, according to a report filed Thursday, November 5, by NBC affiliate KPLC after a jury convicted the mother, 28, of second-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old son, Legend, and cruelty to juveniles for abandoning him and his 1-year-old brother along Interstate 10.

In court, Jack made what KPLC described as a “somewhat hard to follow statement,” where she “did not apologize, but talked about spending money for someone’s birthday,” though it was unclear to whom she was referring. The judge ultimately ruled Jack showed deliberate cruelty to her children, per the outlet.

“This sentence ensures that Aaliyah Jack will spend the rest of her life behind bars, held accountable for the horrific actions that took the life of an innocent child and caused unimaginable suffering to another,” said Calcasieu Parish district attorney Stephen Dwight in a statement announcing the sentence.

“While no sentence can undo what happened or restore the life that was lost, we hope this outcome brings some measure of justice and closure,” he added.

On the morning of July 9, 2024, a trucker spotted Jack’s one-year-old son crawling along a ditch next to the highway, two days after he’d been abandoned there. The toddler had survived alone in the elements as Hurricane Beryl made landfall in neighboring Texas on July 8.

Legend’s body was found in a body of water near a welcome center six miles away, per The Advocate, where he’d been abandoned that same day. His paternal grandmother, Dion Polk, said that Legend had been living with her since May, per KPLC.

According to evidence presented in trial by the prosecution, per The Advocate, Jack had been upset about the custody agreement. Polk spoke with the magazine after the verdict about the loss of Legend and the mother who abandoned him.

“I’m thinking to myself, ‘He was yelling for you to help. You just left him. He was screaming for help.’ I know he was because he was terrified of water,” Polk told The Advocate. “You went a mile, you didn’t turn around. … You went 6 miles, you didn’t turn around. You went 20 miles, you didn’t turn around. You made a choice.”

As for the verdict, Polk said, “I felt relieved. It felt like justice was served for Legend because that’s what it was about. It was about Legend and [his brother].”