INDIANAPOLIS Ryan Smith, the boyfriend of Kinsleigh Welty's mother, has accepted a guilty plea for neglect resulting in death of a dependent in connection with the 5-year-old's death in April 2024.According to court documents f iled December 3, Smith agreed to plead guilty to a Level 1 felony charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death in exchange for a 20-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction.Smith's pre-trial hearing is scheduled for December 9 at 9 a.m. in Marion County Superior Court 32.Key terms of the plea agreementThe 29-year-old Smith will serve the full 20 years in prison with no suspended time under the agreement. However, the plea is being taken under advisement pending the resolution of his co-defendants' cases.As part of the deal, Smith must cooperate fully with prosecutors in the cases against Kinsleigh's mother, Toni McClure, and grandmother, Tammy Halsey.Smith's cooperation includes: Meeting with prosecutors and detectives about his involvement Providing taped statements and sworn depositions Giving "full and truthful testimony" at trial against McClure and HalseyIf Smith fails to testify truthfully or withholds information, the court can reject the plea agreement and he would proceed to trial.Background of the caseThe guilty plea comes nearly two years after Kinsleigh died from severe neglect and malnourishment. The 5-year-old was found unresponsive at her home on April 9, 2024, weighing only 21 pounds when she died at Riley Hospital for Children that evening.McClure faces charges of murder and child neglect resulting in death, while Halsey was charged with neglect. All remaining counts against Smith will be dismissed at sentencing under the plea agreement.According to police reports, Kinsleigh was kept in a closet that had small handprints of what appeared to be feces on the door. The severely malnourished child had sunken eyes and feces on her feet and in her hair when she was found. She also had what appeared to be lice crawling on her face. Hospital officials said Kinsleigh weighed more at 2-and-a-half years old than she did at 5.The complaint alleges Kinsleigh was kept locked in a closet for up to 20 hours a day with little food and water for approximately five months before her death.Family's ongoing fightKinsleigh's paternal grandparents, Tricia and Brian Welty, had repeatedly raised concerns about the child's safety with the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). The family says they had temporary custody of Kinsleigh twice after reports of mistreatment, but she was ultimately returned to her mother's custody.In November, the Welty family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against DCS, 11 individual DCS employees, and the three family members charged in Kinsleigh's death.The lawsuit alleges DCS workers repeatedly failed to investigate reports of abuse and neglect against McClure despite her prior felony conviction for child abuse in 2018. ...read more read less