Jenna Farrey sentenced to 35 years in prison in death of 5-month-old son

Jenna Farrey has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty in connection to the death of her 5-month-old baby Jackson, according to court documents.

Farrey, 22, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Sept. 2 to injury to a child by omission. She is eligible for parole after serving half of her sentence.

Jenna, her husband, former Army Spec. Jeffrey Farrey, and their children, 20-month-old Blake and Jackson were reported missing Nov. 15, 2013 in El Paso.

All but Jackson were found in an Escanaba, Michigan motel on Nov. 17, 2013.

Court documents state that in fall 2013, Jeffrey and Jenna say they found their 5-month-old baby, Jackson, unresponsive and neither sought medical attention for the baby.

The court documents also state that the Farreys told investigators that Jackson was “dead and buried somewhere in the desert in El Paso or New Mexico.”

Jackson’s body was found Nov. 20, 2013 near Orogrande, New Mexico, just north of El Paso.

Jeffrey has been charged with injury to a child with injury to a child by omission and is set to go to trial in October.

Jenna pleaded guilty in 2012 to child endangerment for leaving Blake home alone that year.

Jeffrey’s attorney told ABC-7 Friday, Sept. 4 that Blake is now in the custody of Jeffrey’s parents.

Jackson’s Autopsy

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator in mid-January released its autopsy findings Jackson Farrey and said it could not determine a cause of death.

The autopsy also states Jackson appeared under-developed and there was no evidence of any injuries or drugs in his body.

The report makes it clear the baby did not suffer any bone fractures or muscle injuries and no trauma to the head or body.

“At autopsy, Jackson was clad in a soiled diaper and wrapped in a fleece blanket,” according to the autopsy. “He was severely decomposed with mummification and partial skeletonization of the skull. No structural anomalies of the organs were identified. Extensive dissection of the soft tissues and skeleton did not reveal any evidence of injuries. Measurements of the skeleton indicated that Jackson may have been slightly under-developed for his reported age. Histologic analysis of the organs and tissues was precluded by advanced decompositional changes.”

Jeffrey’s attorney, Joe Spencer in January 2014 said Jenna “has a lot to answer to.”

“I think there’s a lot of anger with Jenna. A lot of frustration with Jenna. I think he’s (Jeffrey) hoping that she will come clean as soon as possible,” said Spencer.

He added it’d be easier for the state to prove Jenna is responsible for Jackson’s death.

One of Jenna’s attorneys, Joshua Herrera in January 2014 said the autopsy does not prove Jenna harmed Jackson in any way. Herrera said he’d be “shocked” if she’s charged with anything different than what Jeffrey is charged with.

The autopsy also stated that toxicology tests revealed a “minimally elevated level of ethanol (alcohol), that is most consistent with post-mortem production of ethanol from the breakdown of the tissues.”

Three El Paso Police Department employees – Detective Micheal Lara, Martin Martinez, and Julio Ordaz – were present when the autopsy was performed.

Legal documents state that Jeffrey told his father the child died after choking on something and that he and the boy’s mother buried the child in the desert.

According to legal documents, police interviews with the family revealed that Jackson was not with the family in Michigan. Both parents claimed that the infant was staying with grandparents. Investigators made contact with all grandparents and learned that the infant was not with them.

Timeline of Events Jeffrey rents a U-Haul on Nov. 1, 2013.
Jeffrey appears to be traveling alone when he passed through the Alamogordo Border Patrol checkpoint at 4:36 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2013. On Nov. 16, Jeffrey Farrey Sr. told investigators about his son’s admission that Jackson died by choking on something.
The Farrey family story began to unfold in mid-November when Jeffrey did not report to duty at Fort Bliss and had not done so since Nov. 13.
Army officials called police and searched the family home.
Police found a journal inside, believed to be written by Jenna, opened to a page that said, “DKH will be bringing our bodies to a place where we can be at rest.”
That’s what led investigators to believe the family was in imminent danger and alert the media late on Nov. 15, 2013.
A warrant stated investigators believed Jenna was corresponding with Facebook friend Susan Farbaky, who sent an instant message Nov. 16, 2013. They believed her Facebook account had info about their whereabouts.