INDIANAPOLIS – A Marion County judge sentenced Amber Robertson to 6 years in connection with the 2019 disappearance of her infant daughter Amiah.
Robertson pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent, a Level 5 felony. In exchange for her plea, the state dismissed three other felony neglect charges filed against her.
Judge Marie Kern accepted the plea on Friday and sentenced Robertson to 6 years, with 637 days of credit for time served and 212 days of good time credit. The remaining sentence--1,341 days--was suspended to probation.
The judge ordered Robertson to take parenting classes and undergo a mental health evaluation. Robertson declined to make a statement in court and wiped tears from her eyes during the proceedings.
Charles Robertson, Amiah's grandfather and Robertson's father, provided pre-sentencing testimony.
"Ms. Robertson, your father's right," Kern said during Friday's sentencing hearing. "This is something that's going to stay with you for the rest of your life."
Amiah Robertson disappeared on March 9, 2019, although she wasn’t reported missing until about a week later, leading to a lengthy search and an ongoing investigation.
Robertson told police she left the infant with her then-boyfriend, Robert Lyons, so he could drop her off with a babysitter. Amiah was never seen again, with one witness reporting seeing bruises on the side of the girl’s face on March 8 or March 9.
Police discovered some of Amiah’s belongings near Eagle Creek. She is presumed dead, and to this day, investigators don’t truly know what happened to her. Her remains have never been found.
Police arrested Robertson and Lyons in September 2022. Lyons also accepted a plea deal; he was sentenced to 16 years, with 6 years suspended, during a hearing in May.
Robertson had been scheduled to go on trial later this month; the trial is now canceled.