A mother has been sentenced to 10 years in prison over the disappearance of her 18-month-old son.

Zinah Jennings still refuses to tell police where her son Amir, who was last seen 10 months ago, is now - though she insists the boy is safe.

Police say Jennings repeatedly lied to them about where the boy is, telling false tales that led them to search places from Atlanta to Charlotte.

Jennings, who did not testify in her defence, has said she left the boy somewhere safe but would not give details when questioned by police.

Investigators have found Amir's blood on baby blankets retrieved from Jennings' car, but no other trace of him.

Some of the dozens of prosecution witnesses testified during the two-week trial that Jennings - who gave birth to a second child last week - said she was overwhelmed by the stresses of parenting an active, energetic boy and needed a break.

One friend said Jennings told her she pondered selling or giving away Amir, and even mentioned throwing the boy out the window of a moving car.

Other prosecution witnesses testified that they saw Jennings kick Amir when he misbehaved or squeeze his hand when he wouldn't say 'mama'.

Employees at the bank where the video came from testified that Amir was often not in a car seat when his mother pulled up at a drive-through window.