Woman Accused of Homicide Following the Death of Her Adopted Daughter Has Trial Scheduled for Fall of 2025

Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The woman accused of homicide following the death of her recently adopted daughter will now go to trial in the fall of 2025.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Sumitra Stolp faces one count of reckless homicide and two counts related to child neglect after the girl was hospitalized in September 2021 with severe injuries and high levels of alcohol and Tylenol in her system.

She was put in a medically-induced coma and died about a week later. Stolp and 42-year-old Jonathan Stolp had been caring for the girl for several months before formally adopting her in the summer of 2021.

Shortly after her death, the Everest Metro PD opened an investigation into the girl’s injuries. Investigators said Sumitra Stolp initially told them the girl had fallen from some playground equipment, but she changed her story in subsequent interviews to say she had fallen backward from a chair.

Both Sumitra and Jonathan told different stories regarding the girl’s injuries. None of which aligned with the severity of the injuries that doctors were treating, according to police. According to court records, the two had been married but have since divorced.

Jonathan was also charged with child neglect in connection with the incident and served a ten-month jail sentence with work release privileges in Chippewa County, where he currently resides. He is also serving three years of probation and must complete a mental health assessment and parent training course.

The case has been scheduled for trial several times before but has been delayed for various reasons. One such delay allowed the court to evaluate the credibility of expert witnesses.  The most recent delay came from the prosecution in October.

If found guilty Stolp faces up to 70 years in prison on the felony counts. She also faces a pair of misdemeanors for obstructing an officer. The sides will return to court for a status conference in mid-February. A jury status hearing is scheduled for October 1st, 2025.

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