S.C. mom gets 10 years for missing son

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COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A judge sentenced a South Carolina woman to 10 years in prison for her role in the disappearance of her 18-month-old child in December.

A jury found Zinah Jennings guilty of unlawful conduct toward a child Friday, The (Columbia) State reported.

Jennings has refused to reveal the location of her son, Amir Jennings, who would now be 2 years old. She has only said he is in a safe place.

Judge Knox McMahon contemplated her sentence Friday while looking at photographs of Amir.

"There's one innocent person," he told those in the courtroom. "One blameless person. One person who cannot fend for himself, and that's Amir Jennings."

Jennings, 23, has been in police custody since Dec. 30. She and Amir had been reported missing in early December by her mother, Jocelyn Jennings. Police found Zinah Jennings Dec. 24 when she was involved in a single-car accident, though Amir was not with her.

Zinah Jennings gave birth to a second child, a daughter, Aug. 31, midway through her six-day trial, The State reported.