Pictured left and right: Matthew and Samantha Dylewski (Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office). Center: Joycelynn Dylewski (The New York State Senate). Background: Images of the Dylewski family’s apartment by Phoenix Property Maintenance (Facebook).
In a tragic conclusion to a harrowing case, the parents of a three-year-old girl who died in their upstate New York apartment will now serve prison sentences.
Matthew Dylewski, 34, and Samantha Dylewski, 33, have received maximum prison terms after pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the death of their daughter, Joycelynn. The couple was apprehended following an incident on February 19, 2025, when emergency responders were summoned to their home in Corinth, New York. The parents reported their daughter was experiencing difficulty breathing, according to local ABC affiliate WTEN. For more details, visit News10’s report.
Joycelynn was rushed to a hospital where, tragically, she was pronounced dead. Her death was later classified as a homicide.
The investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office revealed hazardous living conditions in the Dylewski home, posing risks to Joycelynn and her four siblings. Local CBS affiliate WRGB interviewed Dan Shippee, the owner of the cleaning company that took over the daunting task of restoring the apartment after the tragedy and subsequent arrests. Shippee shared with WRGB, “I had no idea what I was getting into until about 45 minutes before I went over there.” For additional insights, read more on CBS6 Albany’s coverage and on their Facebook page.
Shippee recounted to WRGB, “I’ve never really been in too many places where I had to shovel so much trash off the floor. There were dead flies and bugs all over that apartment.” He added that “people need to see to understand why that little girl died.”
Local news outlet the Times-Union reported that Corinth Village Building Inspector Neil Hepner described the home as being “one of the worst” he had ever seen. The apartment was condemned the day the Dylewskis were arraigned in court. According to Saratoga County First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley, New York State Police investigators said their boots stuck to the floors of the apartment, which was overrun by lice and other insects. The sinks were clogged, and the walls, carpets, and floors were stained.
According to the Times-Union, Joycelynn suffered from a lice infestation so severe that she became anemic. Samantha Dylewski said the little girl “fought her too much when she tried to apply treatment.” The little girl’s teeth were black and rotten, her hair matted, and she had clonidine, a blood pressure medication, in her system at the time of her death.
Buckley told the court that while Samantha Dylewski initially blamed one of her children for giving Joycelynn the clonidine, investigators found text messages proving the Dylewskis discussed giving the medication to the little girl. Joycelynn did not have a heart condition and was never prescribed clonidine.
Joycelynn was one of five children under 17 years old living in the house. She was the only child who had not received medical care, and she had not seen a doctor in the last 10 months of her life.
Samantha Dylewski and Matthew Dylewski, who was sentenced on Monday, were both given the maximum sentence of 16 months to 4 years in prison. Both parents were ordered not to have any contact with their surviving four children until June 2038.
Following Matthew Dylewski’s sentencing, New York State Sen. James Tedisco and Assemblyman Matt Simpson proposed Joycelynn’s Law, which would increase the maximum sentence for criminally negligent homicide to 20 years.