A Wisconsin woman is now accused of killing her 6-year-old daughter, whose cause and manner of death were initially listed as “undetermined” after she was found dead in 2022, authorities said.
Nearly four years ago, Layla Stahl’s body was found inside her Kenosha bedroom without any “obvious signs of trauma or foul play” on April 20, 2022, according to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.
Layla’s manner of death has since been changed to homicide following further investigation, the sheriff’s office said in a Tuesday, April 7, news release.
Her mother, Christina L. Torchia, is now charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with her death, according to authorities.
“This case remained a priority for our investigators, even when the answers were not immediately clear,” Kenosha County Sheriff David W. Zoerner said in a statement. “Layla deserved better, and we will continue to pursue justice on her behalf.”
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More than two years after Layla died, detectives with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office were investigating Torchia, 33, in a case “in which she attempted to solicit the homicide of another individual,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release.
Authorities did not share additional information on the alleged homicide solicitation attempt.
Torchia ultimately pleaded guilty to solicitation of first-degree intentional homicide in that case and was handed the maximum sentence, according to the sheriff’s office.
On March 30, she was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, with a credit for 622 days served, court records viewed by Us Weekly show.
A public defender who represented her in the case did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday, April 8.
It was not immediately clear whether Torchia had retained an attorney in connection with the homicide charge stemming from her daughter’s death.
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Earlier in 2026, investigators took a fresh look at the circumstances of her daughter’s death, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Detectives conducted an extensive review of evidence, re-interviewed witnesses, and pursued additional investigative leads,” the agency said.
Detectives also interviewed Torchia on March 12, when she allegedly gave inconsistent statements related to her daughter and the evidence involved in the case, according to authorities.
Torchia has agreed to have the court consider the charges filed against her in her other criminal case if she is potentially sentenced for another crime, following a conviction, records show.
Kenosha is located along Lake Michigan, about a 35-mile drive south from Milwaukee.
