The boyfriend of the mother of two-year-old Maliyah Bass pleaded guilty and was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in prison in connection with the death of the little girl, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“The disappearance of this little girl shocked and alarmed our community and we all mourn her,” Ogg said. “No one ever wants tragedies like this to happen, but when they do, our prosecutors work to make sure that we get justice for the family.”

Trevion Thompson, 25, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three felonies, including injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, in exchange for a prison sentence of 40 years.

The toddler’s body was found in Brays Bayou a day after her mother and Thompson reported her missing. They originally told police that the little girl had gone missing from a playground outside their southwest Houston apartment while they were inside cooking.

The Houston Police Department responded to the call of a missing child and issued an Amber Alert that day, August 22, 2020.

After her body was found, police arrested Thompson and Maliyah’s mother, Sahara Ervin.

Although it remains unclear exactly what happened to the toddler, Thompson admitted to dumping her body in a storm drain that led to the bayou where she was found.

Ervin, the 24-year-old mother, is expected to be sentenced Thursday. She has already pleaded guilty and was expected to testify against Thompson.

Lacy Johnson, the chief over the DA’s Child Fatality Division, prosecuted the case with ADA Edward Appelbaum.

Johnson noted that Thompson cannot appeal the convictions or the sentence. He must serve at least half the sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

“After three and half years, we were glad to reach a resolution in this case that let the family avoid a trial and ensure that Thompson will be in prison for decades,” Johnson said. “He confessed to putting her body down a storm drain and that really sealed his fate.”

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