# Woman gets 40-year sentence for pushing 3-year-old into Lake Michigan

> Woman sentenced to 40 years after pushing nephew into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier
- Title: Woman gets 40-year sentence for pushing 3-year-old into Lake…
- Summary: Woman sentenced to 40 years after pushing nephew into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier Victoria Moreno, 38, received 40-year prison term for murdering her…
- Keywords: victoria moreno, josiah brown, lake michigan, navy pier, cook county, circuit judge, mental health, murder, illinois department of corrections, comer childrens hospital, news, local
- Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/09/18/forty-year-sentence-for-woman-who-pushed-her-3-year-old-nephew-into-lake-michigan-at-navy-pier
- Published: 2026-09-18T16:28:39.625+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: victoria moreno, josiah brown, lake michigan, navy pier, cook county, circuit judge, mental health, murder, illinois department of corrections, comer childrens hospital, news, local
## 40-year sentence
Victoria Moreno, 38, received a 40-year prison sentence for murdering her 3-year-old nephew by pushing him into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier in 2022.

> Victoria Moreno, 38, threw Josiah Brown into the water off Navy Pier in 2022. She watched as he sank below without attempting to rescue him.
## Navy Pier incident
Moreno pushed Josiah into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier on September 19, 2022, after stealing keys from the family truck.

> On the morning of September nineteenth, two thousand twenty-two, Moreno stole the keys to the family’s truck in Des Plaines and "snuck out of the residence without anyone knowing that she had left"
## Child's death
Josiah Brown died six days after being rescued from Lake Michigan, on September 25, 2022.

> After Josiah was rescued, he was transported to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition. He died six days later on September twenty-fifth.
## Mental health
Moreno has a history of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, and has been on medication for seven years.

> Moreno had been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, according to her attorney. She received treatment from two hospitals and had been on medication for seven years.
## Legal defense
Moreno's defense claimed she was standing over Josiah when he fell, which could be an accident, not intentional murder.

> Moreno’s attorney had disputed the claim that Moreno intentionally pushed the child into the water, and said she was standing over Josiah when he fell, "which does not necessarily preclude an accident."
## Court ruling
Cook County Circuit Judge Thomas Byrne sentenced Moreno to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, acknowledging her mental health condition.

> On Wednesday Cook County Circuit Judge Thomas Byrne found Moreno guilty of murder, but mentally ill, and sentenced her to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to court records.
## Rescue details
Divers found Josiah in Lake Michigan about 30 minutes after he was pushed, but he died six days later.

> Divers found him about thirty minutes later.
## Mental health treatment
Moreno received treatment from two hospitals and has been on medication for seven years, according to her attorney.

> Moreno had been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, according to her attorney. She received treatment from two hospitals and had been on medication for seven years.
## Key date
The incident occurred on September 19, 2022, when Moreno stole keys from the family truck and pushed Josiah into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier.

> On the morning of September nineteenth, two thousand twenty-two, Moreno stole the keys to the family’s truck in Des Plaines and "snuck out of the residence without anyone knowing that she had left"
## Key takeaway

Victoria Moreno, 38, received 40-year prison term for murdering her 3-year-old nephew by pushing him into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier in 2022