LARGO, Fla. (WSVN) — For most of his short life, 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau lived with a central Florida foster family before a court order returned him to the custody of his mother, Charisse Stinson.
Now the toddler’s foster parents, Sam and Juliet Warren, say they were trying to adopt the little boy, and believe he would still be alive if not for that court order.
“He was failed by many people who should have protected him, but didn’t,” Sam Warren told reporters. “Promises that were made to us about how he would be protected after his return were broken… [If not] for a court order, he would still be safe in our home.”
The Warrens said they cared for Jordan from January of 2017 until May 31st this year, when a judge determined the boy had to be returned to Stinson.
“He wasn’t just the boy on the Amber Alert,” Sam Warren said. “He learned to roll over in our house. I remember my mom helping him learn to crawl. Jordan learned to walk and talk in our family.”
Stinson reported her son missing Saturday night, prompting a statewide Amber Alert to be issued. The mother said she had been attacked and when she woke up, Jordan was gone.
Police believe it was all a lie.
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“It was all fabricated by Ms. Stinson to help cover her alibi for what she’d actually done,” Largo Police Lt. Randall Chaney said Wednesday at a news conference.
“In interviewing the mother last night, she made significant admissions into what had happened to her child, which led us to have probable cause to arrest her in the death,” he continued.
Stinson said that during a moment of frustration she struck Jordan in the face with the back of her hand after he had suffered a serious injury to his right leg, according to an arrest affidavit. His head struck a wall and he suffered seizures during the night. As his health declined the next day, Stinson carried him to a wooded area and left him there, police said.
Stinson, who is reportedly pregnant with another child, was formally charged in court Wednesday, where a judge set a bond of $500,000 for a child abuse charge and no bond for the murder charge. She was appointed a public defender.
Largo Police said a caseworker from Directions for Living visited Stinson’s home Friday, just a day before she reported her son missing. Maj. Stephen Slaughter previously confirmed that child protective services had investigated the family for domestic violence, saying officers recovered bloody items from the home.
Eckerd Connects, which oversees Directions for Living, released the following statement to WFTS:
“We are heartbroken by the news of Jordan’s death and will continue praying for peace and comfort for this family and all those who loved Jordan. The local child welfare system has been involved with this child and family and there is an open investigation through the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s Child Protection Investigation Division. The Department of Children and Families has initiated an internal review of this case and we will be working with DCF to release information as it becomes available.”
The Warrens say they hope Jordan’s story will lead to more protection for children.
“We loved Jordan deeply and we are devastated by his loss,” Sam Warren said. “We hope that Jordan’s loss will lead to a change to protect other children in the system. Jordan was failed by the system.”
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