CLEVELAND, Ohio (WSVN) — A Cleveland social worker has been accused of skipping visits and accepting bribes to “look the other way” in the months before a 5-year-old boy was found dead.
Prosecutors said if social worker Nancy Caraballo had actually been doing her job, she may have been able to prevent the death of 5-year-old Jordan Rodriguez. The boy’s mother and her boyfriend have been charged in his murder.
According to Celevland.com, Caraballo was assigned to visit the home of Larissa Rodriguez once a month since 2014 to teach the woman’s nine children. During this time, she was also required to report any abuse or neglect.
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However, Caraballo reportedly developed a personal relationship with Rodriguez, who received $1,000 a month in food stamps. Prosecutors said Caraballo would buy some of the food stamps from her for half-price as a bribe to “look the other way.”
Fox 8 reports Caraballo overall accepted $10,000 worth of food stamps as a bribe.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley also said Caraballo filed false reports to cover up the fact that she skipped at least 11 visits, including one the month before investigators found the boy’s body buried in the home’s backyard.
Cleveland.com reports that Jordan’s body was found Dec.19, but investigators believe he died nearly two months earlier, around Sept. 22. His body showed signs of multiple signs of abuse, including broken ribs.
Caraballo also paid a visit to Rodriguez’s home just nine days before Jordan’s body was found, but never noted the boy’s absence in her report.
Court documents state that Rodriguez’s home was found in “deplorable and unsanitary conditions.” It was also reportedly invested with rats and cockroaches, and social workers found one child eating a cockroach-filled sandwich when they arrived.
The four children living in the home have been taken into custody by the county, which has opened 13 abuse and neglect allegations into Rodriguez since 1999.
Both Rodriguez and her boyfriend face charges of murder and child neglect. Caraballo faces bribery charges among others.
O’Malley said investigators do not know if Caraballo knew of Jordan’s disappearance or death, but they said they may be willing to add more charges if it is determined that malnourishment played a role in how he died.
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