Trigger Warning: This article contains references to alleged child abuse and child neglect that some readers may find distressing. Reader discretion is advised.

Oregon man, Marquavious Ware, was sentenced on Monday, July 20, 2026, to 10 years in prison, 75 months for manslaughter, and 45 months for custodial interference, served concurrently. Ware pleaded guilty in June 2026 to second-degree manslaughter for the 2023 death of his four-year-old son, accepting a plea deal down from original murder and assault charges. His sentence includes more than three years of credit for time served since his arrest on May 3, 2023.

The child, Jhorden Clay, died after remaining in Ware’s care for nearly a month during what had been scheduled as a two-day visit in May 2023. Clay’s mother, Jonicia Clay, who had legal custody, had expected the child to be returned after the visit.

According to Law & Crime, the four-year-old died from blunt force trauma, a collapsed heart, severe malnutrition, and dehydration. The boy’s mother told police that Ware refused to return her son following a scheduled two-day visit, holding him for nearly a month.

 Ware allegedly abused the boy over several weeks in front of family members. On the day Clay died, a relative reported seeing Ware washing blood from the boy’s mouth in a bathtub after Ware allegedly grew angry over “bedwetting” and “sneaking skittles.” Police later found blood and vomit throughout the bedroom and bathroom.

Medical staff noted extensive bruising, cigarette burns, and scars across the child’s body. Ware admitted to holding the child for about a month and inflicting “mild physical discipline,” as reported by the Mirror US. 

Clay’s mother repeatedly alerted Oregon’s Department of Human Services about suspected abuse before the child’s death. According to a pending $17 million lawsuit, police told her there was limited legal authority to intervene because Ware was the child’s father.

“I took a FaceTime photo of his face; I noticed marks instantly. I called the police. They told me call nonemergency because it’s his father. I was like, ‘he’s been in my care the last four years. My son, he’s really in danger, like there’s marks on his face.'”

— Jonicia Clay, Jhorden’s mother, Cafemom

The lawsuit alleges the Oregon Department of Human Services failed to adequately respond to repeated reports of abuse, including photographs and FaceTime screenshots. As reported by The Oregonian, an internal DHS review found the agency failed to investigate those reports.

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.