Kayla Ames pleaded no contest in case of her son's death in 2021

A Shepherd's Bush woman pleaded no contest on Thursday in the death of her 7-month-old son in 2021.

Kayla Ames, 26, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in exchange for dismissal of a charge of second-degree child abuse in connection with the death of her son, Leland, on September 26, 2021.

Midland County District Court Judge Michael Beale accepted Ames's guilty plea and set her sentencing date for October 31.

Ames' attorney, Daniel Duke, said Ames placed the baby in an unsafe sleeping position next to her at night and it suffocated. Duke suspected the child was suffocated by a blanket.

Ames allegedly knew Leland should have been sleeping in a crib. Midland County Assistant Prosecutor Drew Sauter said Ames was instructed on safe sleep practices at the hospital.

Ames was extradited from Indiana on January 3 to face the Midland charges.

In Indiana, she was sentenced on November 13 last year to four years in prison in Clark County, on the Kentucky border, from where she was later extradited. According to the Clark County Clerk of Court's office, Ames accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to four counts of assault on a public official. The charges of intimidation and public nudity were dropped under the settlement.

Ames received credit for 472 days of her sentence, with two years and 180 days of probation, and was ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

Previously, in November 2021, Ames was charged with multiple misdemeanors in Clark County for resisting police, endangering life, and engaging in fighting and violent conduct. On October 15, 2023, she was sentenced to 30 days in jail with 15 days credit.

From the time of her extradition until Thursday, Ames was held without bail in the Midland County Jail. Her bail was revoked when she pleaded guilty to the manslaughter/murder charge.