Mother sentenced in 2010 death of 4-year-old Smithfield girl

The mother of a 4-year-old Smithfield girl who died in 2010 after authorities said she was tortured was sentenced Wednesday to at least 18 months in jail.

Posted 10:47 p.m. Mar 6, 2019 — Updated 12:06 a.m. Mar 7, 2019

Janine Bowen

, WRAL digital journalist

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — The mother of a 4-year-old Smithfield girl who died in 2010 after authorities said she was tortured was sentenced Wednesday to at least 18 months in jail.

Teghan Skiba died on July 19, 2010, three days after she was taken to a Smithfield hospital with cuts, lacerations, bite marks, head trauma and sexual assault injuries.

Authorities said Skiba’s mother, Helen Reyes, went to New Mexico for Army Reserve training and left her daughter in the care of Jonathan Douglas Richardson.

Prosecutors in 2014 said Richardson physically and sexually abused the child for 10 days inside a small shed behind his grandparents' home before taking her to the hospital.

He was charged with first-degree murder, felony child abuse, kidnapping and sexual offense.

Reyes last month plead guilty to a charge of Class E felony child abuse, admitting she showed “reckless disregard for the welfare of the child, resulting in serious bodily injury.”

Reyes was sentenced to 18 to 31 months in prison as a result of the charges.

While testifying against Richardson in 2014, Reyes described him as a father-figure to Skiba, but outlines multiple instances in which she returned home to find the girl had sustained injuries while in his care.

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