A Minnesota mother fatally poisoned her 18-month-old daughter only hours after a judge awarded custody to the girl’s father, according to court documents.
Maige Elizabeth Yang, then 23, lived at a home in Champlin, Minnesota.
On January 9, 2026, officers responded to a residence in the 11900 block of Castle Rock Court for a report of a child who was not breathing, police said.
Officers found an 18-month-old girl unresponsive on the living-room floor, according to authorities.
Responders also located an adult woman in medical distress upstairs, police said.
Officers began life-saving measures before both were transported to a hospital. The child was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, police said.
Authorities identified the deceased child as 18-month-old De’Ali Blia Delgado, according to officials.
Investigators determined that the toddler’s death occurred hours after a judge awarded temporary custody to her father, Erick Delgado, court records show.
The custody dispute between the parents had been ongoing for months, according to records.
In September 2025, Delgado petitioned the court seeking permanent custody of his daughter, records state.
On January 2, 2026, the father filed an emergency request seeking temporary sole custody of the toddler. The court did not immediately grant the emergency request and scheduled a hearing, records state.
In that emergency filing, Delgado alleged that Yang had been behaving erratically and may have been experiencing untreated mental-health issues, court documents state.
On January 3, 2026, police issued an endangered-missing-person alert for both Yang and the young child.
Family members told authorities they had not seen Yang since December 28, 2025, and had last communicated with her two days later, police said.
Information later uncovered by relatives caused authorities to become extremely concerned for the safety of both mother and daughter, police said.
Investigators initially believed the pair may have traveled to Glendale, Arizona, police said. Both were located safely later that day, prompting officials to cancel the alert.
On January 9, 2026, a judge officially awarded temporary custody of the toddler to her father, records show.
The family court ruling was issued at approximately 11:30 a.m., according to Delgado.
Following the hearing, Yang returned to the Champlin home with the child and took her upstairs into a bedroom, investigators said.
Yang’s father later went upstairs to check on them and discovered the bedroom door was locked, police said.
He forced the bedroom door open and found De’Ali lying on the floor with her lips turning blue, court records show.
He carried his granddaughter downstairs and called 911, authorities said.
Officers arrived and attempted to save the toddler before she was transported to the hospital, police said.
Yang was found upstairs partially unconscious after she attempted to take her own life, investigators said.
During an interview with police, Yang admitted putting a significant amount of children’s sleeping medication into the child’s bottle, detectives said.
According to court records, the mother stated that she wanted to “make the pain go away.”
Investigators said Yang admitted she intended the amount of medication to be fatal and hoped her daughter would die peacefully in her sleep.
Delgado later stated that he had finally received custody of his daughter at approximately 11:30 a.m. By approximately 4 p.m., she was gone.
On January 13, 2026, prosecutors charged Yang with intentional second-degree murder without premeditation.
The defendant was initially hospitalized under police supervision before being booked into jail upon her medical release, officials said.
Her bail was set at $1.5 million, court records show.
In June 2026, the 24-year-old defendant changed her plea and pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder, according to records.
The plea agreement allowed the court to impose an aggravated sentence of up to 35 years in prison, records state. On July 27, 2026, Yang was sentenced to 380 months, or more than 31 years, in prison.
She received credit for 196 days already served, according to court records.
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