The Brussels mother whose eight-month-old daughter died after being left inside an overheated vehicle for several hours has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Melissa Martinez was sentenced Thursday by Door County Judge Todd Ehlers, who also ordered the 34-year-old to serve four years extended supervision.
Martinez was convicted in June of felony child neglect in the death of her daughter Elena Martinez.
Authorities say the infant had been left in an SUV, strapped in a safety seat, with the engine on and the heater running for several hours on October 19, 2011.
Police say Melissa Martinez had been drinking. The criminal complaint says a preliminary breath test taken at the Door County Jail at 9:40 p.m. that night indicated a blood alcohol level of .237 percent, nearly three times the legal limit.
Judge Ehlers also ordered Martinez to maintain absolute sobriety, stay away from bars and taverns, and keep an ignition interlock on her vehicle for three years after being released from prison.
