Elgin woman sentenced to two decades in prison in severe child abuse case

ELGIN - A 55-year-old Elgin woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for severely neglecting and starving a child over a three-year period, prosecutors said.

What we know:

According to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, Eulalia Vences agreed to the 20-year sentence in exchange for a guilty plea to aggravated battery involving great bodily harm, a Class X felony.

Pictured is Eulalia Vences.

Prosecutors said that between March 5, 2021, and March 5, 2024, Vences and her co-defendant, Natali Cruz-Gemchi, severely neglected and starved Cruz-Gemchi’s child.

In March 2024, the 7-year-old was brought to Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin in cardiac arrest and unresponsive. Doctors stabilized the child but found they weighed only 14 pounds and showed signs consistent with "severe intentional physical torture, psychological torture and medical neglect," the state’s attorney’s office said.

Both Vences and Cruz-Gemchi were charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery and child endangerment.

What they're saying:

"In my many years as a prosecutor, this is one of the most disturbing cases I have encountered. For an adult to neglect, torture, and starve a child in their care, with such wanton disregard for the child’s well-being, is both unforgivable and horrendous. As a result of these actions, the child, who fortunately survived the abuse, will face long-term medical complications and lifelong psychiatric consequences. The defendant admitted her guilt and received a sentence that holds her accountable for her actions. She can now spend the next two decades reflecting on the harm she inflicted on an innocent child," said Assistant State's Attorney Lori Schmidt. 

What's next:

Vences must serve at least 85% of her sentence and will receive credit for 596 days served in the Kane County Jail, prosecutors said.

Cruz-Gemchi’s case remains pending. She is being held in the Kane County Jail.