SIOUX FALLS — A Sioux Falls woman has pleaded guilty to child abuse after police arrested her during an investigation into a missing infant in March.
Inside a Minnehaha County courtroom on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 23-year-old Helena Bluebird, of Sioux Falls, pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss one count of accessory to a felony in exchange.
Bluebird was handed a 10-year suspended prison sentence, with credit for 250 days already served in a county jail. However, Bluebird was on probation after she was convicted of a drug crime in 2024.
The child abuse conviction was determined to be a violation of her probation from the previous case, and a judge sentenced her to serve three additional years of probation, which will lapse in November 2028.
Bluebird was arrested in connection to an investigation into a missing child.
On March 14, police in Sioux Falls issued an Amber Alert, accusing 29-year-old Lelana Sitting Up of abducting a 1-year-old boy from an apartment complex in the 700 block of West 18th Street.
Then-police spokesman Sam Clemens said that at approximately 9:40 p.m. the night prior, Sitting Up had threatened a 66-year-old woman with a firearm. After taking custody of the child, Sitting Up and 17-year-old Tianna Bluebird left the premises, according to police.
Through the course of an investigation, authorities received a tip that Javion may be inside an apartment in the 100 block of South Summit Avenue in Sioux Falls. Due to the use of a handgun during the alleged abduction, the Sioux Falls Police Department’s SWAT and crisis negotiation teams were activated.
The child was recovered safely without injuries.
While Sitting Up and Tianna Bluebird were charged with first-degree kidnapping, police say they also found evidence to charge Helena Bluebird with child abuse, though they clarify that Helena Bluebird was not directly involved with the alleged abduction.
With Helena Bluebird’s case now concluded, Sitting Up and Tianna Bluebird are set to stand trial for first-degree kidnapping in February.
A South Dakota native, Hunter joined Forum Communications as a reporter for the Mitchell (S.D.) Republic in June 2021 and now works as a digital reporter for Forum News Service.
