INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A local mother has been sentenced to roughly 20 months in jail for her part in the tragic case of her missing 8-month-old daughter, who disappeared in 2019 and is now suspected to have been a victim of homicide. Amber Robertson will also face three and a half years of probation following her prison term.

The sentence was handed down on Friday after Robertson pleaded guilty to charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. Despite extensive law enforcement efforts, the child, Amiah Robertson, has never been found.

The investigation into Amiah’s disappearance revealed a series of alarming events. On March 9, 2019, Robert Lyons, Amber’s boyfriend at the time, was seen leaving with the child, who was reported to be in good health. He returned later that evening without Amiah; however, the mother did not report her daughter missing until a full week later. Lyons provided investigators with multiple locations where Amiah might be found, but the leads either proved false or led to places that didn’t exist. Police searches along the banks of Eagle Creek recovered some of Amiah’s belongings but not the child herself.

By the end of March 2019, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department declared they were treating the case as a homicide investigation. In September 2022, both Robertson and Lyons faced indictments from a grand jury on neglect charges, accusing Robertson of dangerously risking her daughter’s life.

Robertson initially faced four counts of neglect, but as part of a plea agreement, three of them were dismissed. Lyons also made a plea earlier this year, receiving a sentence of 10 years in prison.

The case has deeply affected the Indiana community, including members of Amber Robertson’s own family. Chuck Robertson, the child’s grandfather, expressed his belief that his daughter knows the fate that befell Amiah and voiced a heartbreaking sentiment that the couple essentially got away with the perfect murder.

Adding to the complexity of the case, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears has described it as challenging due to the limitations in evidence available to prove what occurred. Nevertheless, the convictions reflect the level of Amber Robertson’s culpability in her daughter’s presumed death.

Robertson has been ordered to take parenting classes as a part of her plea deal. She is a mother to five other children, with the latest being twins born during her time in custody. As the family and community continue to seek closure, the justice system has rendered its decision in a case that remains unsolved and heartbreakingly open-ended.