TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo father charged in connection with the death of his two infant children was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison.
Jacob Cisneros, 36, entered an Alford plea last week on two counts of complicity to involuntary manslaughter, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of obstruction of justice.
Cisneros was charged in the deaths of a 2-month-old son found in a car in May 2017 and a baby daughter found in a car registered to him in February 2020.
After hearing his sentence, Cisneros made a statement against the advice of his attorney.
"I just want to say that I will go to this ... proud of the man that I am and the life I've lived," he said. "I understand why people wouldn't understand things, but I am proud of who I am and the father that I've been to my three amazing children. That's all I have to say, your honor."
Cisneros contacted WTOL 11 earlier Wednesday proclaiming his innocence.
The bodies of both babies were found wrapped up in blankets and discovered on the floor of the cars, underneath the dashboards.
Jacob Cisneros and his wife, Jenna Cisneros, were indicted on two counts each of involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice.
Jenna Cisneros, 35, pleaded no contest in August, 2020, to two counts of involuntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Two babies were found wrapped up in blankets under the dashboard of two separate cars. Baby Doe #1 which was a boy was discovered on Vaness Drive in May 2017. The case remained unsolved and the baby's identity unknown.
In November 2019, the Toledo Police Department and the Cold Case Investigative Unit at the Lucas County Prosecutors Office submitted DNA samples to AdvanceDNA, which is a genetic genealogy firm. The firm used ancestry databases to confirm the infant was genetically related to a person who lived on Vaness Drive and was a blood relative to Jacob Cisneros.
The database also revealed that Jenna Cisneros was likely the mother of the child.
The couple was arrested after DNA evidence confirmed Jenna and Jacob Cisneros were the biological parents of Baby Doe. It was during this investigation that detectives discovered the mummified body of Baby Doe #2, a girl, located in a car registered to Jacob Cisneros.