Cheyenne Hill: Indiana woman sentenced to 30 years for neglect resulting in toddler's death

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

LAWRENCE COUNTY, INDIANA: A woman from Indiana will spend the next few decades behind bars for abusing her 20-month-old daughter and abandoning her until her death, all while calling the child names that were both strange and cruel.

Jurors in Lawrence County found 34-year-old Cheyenne Hill guilty in February on one count of neglecting a dependent that resulted in death.

Judge John Plummer III sentenced the defendant to 30 years earlier this week in connection with Elliaunna Plummer's death in late 2022.

Judge criticized Cheyenne Hill for not advocating for Elliaunna Plummer

During a Tuesday, April 23, sentencing hearing, the judge remarked, "This is a sad case, very said," according to a courtroom report by Bedford-based radio station WBIW.

The judge went on to say, “This little girl needed someone to advocate for her, speak up for her, and protect her. It was Cheyenne’s responsibility to do that, and she did not. This is very tragic. This was an emotional case and was hard for everyone. To some extent, there is justice for Elliaunna today.”

The child was airlifted from Indiana University Health Hospital Bedford to Riley Hospital for Children on November 23, 2022. She had bruises on her head and face, a broken collarbone, and a brain bleed, Law&Crime reported.

Elliaunna died that day from her wounds. The girl's last moments are described in a startling and comprehensive probable cause affidavit submitted in August 2023. In late September 2023, Hill was taken into custody, charged formally, and entered a not-guilty plea.

“Pictures of [the girl] prior to being transported to Indianapolis revealed a swollen and deformed head and bruising on her forehead and the left and right sides of her face,” a detective wrote. “Red-brownish marks were observable underneath both eyes.”

That same caseworker who had called law enforcement had left two anonymous tips about the patient in the days before Hill's first hospital visit, about possible drug use and almost certainly child abuse.

Cheyenne Hill left her daughter with stranger despite her being half-dead

The second call was made on the day the child was taken to the hospital, or roughly eight days after the bruises initially appeared, according to the affidavit.

“The caller reported [the girl] had what appeared to be three fingerprint marks on one side of her face and one on the other consistent with what seemed to have been caused by someone grabbing her face and squeezing,” the document reads.

It further stated, “The caller described [the girl’s] condition as lethargic, that she would not wake up, appeared ‘half dead,’ and could barely hold her head up. The caller stated [the girl’s] mother left for work, leaving [the girl] with the individual she had been living with despite [the girl’s] condition.”

Prosecutors depicted the since-condemned woman as a self-centered individual who cared more about smoking pot, eating fast food and leftovers, maintaining her relationship, and being able to live with her partner than she did about her daughter during the trial, according to WBIW.

In light of this, the defendant's bizarre, disturbing, and unsupported remarks regarding her toddler were also presented to the jury.

Cheyenne Hill criticized her daughter, calling her 'not a nice kid'

In an interview with a donor network representative the day before she passed away, Hill called her daughter "not a nice kid" and expressed her belief that "something wasn't right with her" would have made her the next "Jeffrey Dahmer."

Hill texted her boyfriend Cameron Fleming the month before Elliaunna died, saying, "[She] was f*****g terrible last night when we came back. I wouldn’t stop crying. I wanted to throw her.” "Let me get this a*s to bed," she texted Fleming the following week.

Later, some of those remarks were repeated to the police. Investigating officers questioned Hill on December 7, 2022, about why she went to work on the day her daughter was hospitalized and didn't wake up.

Nevertheless, the prosecution chose not to pursue the theory that Hill killed her daughter directly. However, both the state and the jury agreed that the degree of negligence and harm produced the same outcome.

Joshua Scherschel, the chief deputy prosecutor, stated, "She did it knowingly," during the state's closing argument.