Cynthia Estrada-Lopez, 28, was a mother gone wrong.

She has been sentenced to 38 years in prison for killing her 4-year-old daughter Lilly Lopez.

Chief Administrative Judge Walton McLeod IV, imposed sentence after Lopez pled guilty to homicide by child abuse April 1 in Lexington County.

“The death of this precious 4-year-old girl due to child abuse is one of the most tragic cases we’ve seen,” 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard said.

It began at 9:05 pm, July 31, 2017, when the Lexington County 911 Center received a call from the home of the mother and her husband, David Steadman, on Nazareth Road.

First responders found Lilly unresponsive on the living room floor and began CPR.

Lilly was pronounced dead on arrival at Lexington Medical Center.

During the investigation, Lilly’s 5-year-old brother told a forensic interviewer at the Dickerson Child Advocacy Center in Lexington what happened.

He said he saw his mother restrain and tape Lilly to her bed.

His mother taped Lilly’s mouth “so she doesn’t cry.” Lopez confessed to taping Lilly’s mouth and restraining her to the bed that night.

She said Lilly was “gasping for air” after her husband removed the tape.

Lopez said she and her husband waited at least an hour before calling 911 to seek medical help for Lilly.

An autopsy by a forensic pathologist revealed that:

• Lilly died as a direct result of aspiration of food particles into her lungs.

• This was caused by her mother taping her mouth and physically restraining her.

• Lilly suffered dehydration and blunt force trauma to her head.

Lopez’s husband David Steadman was arrested after admitting to law enforcement officers their child neglect and failure to call for help for Lilly.

“This crime has left a lasting impact on our office, law enforcement, and the Lexington County Coroner’s Office,” Hubbard said.

Steadman was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted him in February 2020.

Lopez was taken to the SC Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.

Under South Carolina law, she will not be eligible for parole.

She will be 66 years old before she is eligible for release.