Attic abuse mom Rachel Perez sentenced to 8 years

(CBS/AP/KCTV) Olathe, Kan. - Kansas woman Rachel Perez, who kept her disabled son in an attic, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

The 26-year-old of De Soto was sentenced Thursday to the maximum sentences allowed for attempted second-degree murder, child abuse and aggravated child endangerment.

Perez kept her son, who has Down syndrome, hidden in her attic and lied to investigators when they came to her home to check on the boy. Deputies found him Aug. 17 covered with feces and urine and weighing less than 20 pounds.

A pediatrician has said the boy would have died within days if he hadn't been found.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that her attorney argued Perez never intended to kill her son and should not have been charged with attempted murder.

All four of Perez's children have been placed in foster care.