The Bakersfield mother accused murdering her two-year-old son has pleaded no contest to willful cruelty to a child.

19-year-old Ayled Chavez originally said her boyfriend Kaleb Kessinger had kidnapped Ramon Reyes-Chavez in April, but later claimed they buried his body in the Kern River Canyon after the boy died of head injuries.

Kessinger is still charged with the murder. He’s also accused of abusing his grandfather in a separate case.

Kelli Pierce