A woman originally charged with capital murder in connection with the 2019 death of her 13-month-old son has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Elizabeth Anne Case, 39, entered the plea in March, according to court documents.

Case had previously faced capital murder charges in the death of Casen Case, who was left in a hot car for as long as eight hours, authorities said. Those charges were dismissed last year, and Case was charged with reckless manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.

Case received credit for four years, 150 days served in jail.

According to investigators, on Oct. 4, 2019, Elizabeth Case left her residence between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. the night before the child’s death, with him buckled into a front-facing car seat without strapping the seat to the vehicle. Case traveled to both Limestone and Madison counties where she was “dumpster diving” while the child was in the vehicle, officials said.

She then returned home around 5:40 a.m. and left the baby in the vehicle when she went inside the home and went to bed. Case awoke around 1:30 p.m. when the baby’s grandmother was banging on the door because she couldn’t find her grandchild.

They searched for the baby and found him in the car. Case then took the child in the home and placed him in the shower. The grandmother called 911, loaded the child in the car with Case, and met Athens Police at the Recreation Center at Highway 251 and Highway 31. The outside temperature was approximately 97 degrees when he was found.

Casen was transported to Athens-Limestone hospital where he was pronounced dead.