SIOUX FALLS, SD — A Sioux Falls woman has been sentenced to prison for her role in an armed child abduction that triggered an Amber Alert in March 2025. Lelana Sitting Up received a 10-year sentence Monday, Aug. 31, with one year suspended. She will also get credit for 332 days already served in county jail.
Authorities said the case began when a 1-year-old boy was taken from an apartment complex in the 700 block of West 18th Street. Police said Sitting Up used a gun to threaten a 66-year-old woman who had been watching the child before leaving with the boy and 17-year-old Tianna Bluebird.
How The Case Developed
Law enforcement issued the Amber Alert after the boy disappeared in March 2025. The child was found safe the following day at another apartment in Sioux Falls. The sentencing closes one part of a case that drew attention because of the age of the child, the weapon allegation and the short time between the abduction and recovery.
Sitting Up had faced first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In July, she pleaded no contest to the assault charge in exchange for dismissal of the other counts. The court then imposed the prison term tied to that conviction. The sentence reflects both the seriousness of the case and the time she had already spent in custody.
Co-Defendant's Plea Deal
Bluebird also faced multiple felony charges after prosecutors said she was involved in the kidnapping. In August, she reached an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to accessory to a felony. Instead of prison, she received a suspended sentence and was ordered to complete three years of probation.
The different outcomes show how the two defendants resolved their cases separately, even though both were tied to the same March 2025 incident. Court records in the case indicate Bluebird’s deal came after the more serious charges were reduced through the plea process. Her sentence places her under supervision while avoiding immediate incarceration.
Another Related Charge
A third woman, Helena Bluebird, was present when the abducted child was recovered and was later charged with child abuse. Police said her case was separate from the abduction itself. She later pleaded guilty and received a three-year probation sentence.
That charge added another court proceeding connected to the same overall episode, though investigators distinguished it from the kidnapping case. The child abuse conviction did not change the fact that the boy had already been found safe. Together, the outcomes leave multiple women sentenced or under probation after the 2025 incident.
What The Sentence Means
Sitting Up’s sentence means she will serve time in prison after nearly a year in county jail, with 332 days credited toward the term. The one-year suspension reduces the active prison time slightly, but she still faces a substantial sentence for the assault conviction. The case remains one of the more serious child-abduction prosecutions handled in Sioux Falls in recent years.
For the family and officers involved, the central fact remains that the child was found alive and safe. The court actions now provide the main resolution available in public records: a prison term for Sitting Up, probation for the two other women, and the end of the criminal proceedings described in the case.
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