The Misery Machine - The Case of Jordan Belliveau

Starting point is 00:00:00 Jordan Marcel Belavow Jr. was born in Florida on July 29, 2016 to parents Cherie Stinson and Jordan Belavow Sr. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a big smile that lit up his entire face. His foster father, Sam Warren, said he was full of joy and laughed so often that they called him, our Mr. Chuckles. He said Jordan was laid back with an easy smile and a twinkle in his eye. His grandmother said he was a happy and beautiful child who, loved everybody. He loved balloons, the characters from Paw Patrol, and making friends. His grandmother called him a people person. He liked to be playful and silly. In one of his photos, he put a lampshade

Starting point is 00:00:43 on his head like a hat. His foster father said, like most other little boys, we saw Jordan's mischievous side as well. During his time with his foster parents, he learned, explored, and hit all the small but important milestones that marked the transition from infant to toddler. His foster father 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. And he didn't do it alone. The family also had a slightly younger baby girl, and his foster sister grew up beside him, eventually walking side by side. In the summer, he played in the pool and went for rides in a little red wagon. For Halloween, they dressed him as the cowardly lion and his foster sister as Dorothy from the Wizard

Starting point is 00:01:30 of Oz. His foster father said, he flourished and grew in a community that loved him deeply. He was loved by our whole family, the Lifebridge Church community, the Coast Guard community, and the Door of Hope foster care community. Jordan's mother, Cherise, had a troubled childhood. She spent her early life in Apopka, Florida, where her mother, Mary Washington, had grown up. Mary's father, who is Sharisa's grandfather, was a pastor at the Temple of Faith there and had been since it was founded in 1974. Though she came from a deeply religious family, Cherisa's mother had bad luck with men. Teresa's father went to prison when she was only four years old, leaving Mary to raise Charisse and her siblings as a single mother. In 2008, when Charisse was 11 years old, a neighbor who worked as a cosmetologist accused her of stealing over $1,000 worth of makeup from her home.

Starting point is 00:02:22 According to the Tampa Bay Times, deputies arrested Cherise at her middle school and found some of the missing lip gloss in her backpack. As part of her punishment, she had to write a letter of apology. In it, she said, I just wanted something to make me look cool because I've never even been to the mall. She closed with the postscript asking the neighbor to tell her she was forgiven. She said, could you come over to say you forgive me or write a letter and mail it? Around this time, deputies also received seven reports of CA. and neglect in her home. One from a former landlord said the family was living in a pest-filled home without electricity.

Starting point is 00:03:00 The family was evicted around this time, so the report might have been the landlord's attempt to get them to leave. CPS removed the children temporarily because of the living conditions, but never substantiated any other allegations. In 2010, the family was interviewed for a news story about homelessness among middle-class families. Mary told the reporter she had lost her job at a financial firm when the company had closed. They had lost their home and car and were living in a motel. Around this time, Mary got remarried.

Starting point is 00:03:29 But her luck with men sadly did not improve. Her new husband, Eric Baker, was twice convicted of DV against her, once while she was battling ovarian cancer. Though he was never convicted of CA, Mary's sister said he was the reason Cherise was removed from her mother's care and placed in a group home. In August of 2012, Cherise was moved to another group home on Turner Street in Clearwater, Florida. She still was struggling there. She was reported as a runaway at least 19 times over the next two years.

Starting point is 00:03:59 She also made friends and found some amount of stability. She attended school and worked several part-time jobs. Or into other residents, she could be a really good, compassionate friend, but she was also noted to have a dark side and that she was vindictive, manipulative, and moody. One of the staff members, Fazjaya Shaquan Brown, suspected that she suffered from mental illness. Didn't know if she was actually getting any help.

Starting point is 00:04:26 One of the other residents said counseling was not mandatory there. She said, most case managers aren't going to try to talk you into counseling. Most will be like, okay, that's less work for me, because they would be the ones that had to take you to the appointment. When the group home ran out of funding in September of 2014, 17-year-old Cherise was the last resident to leave. In the months leading up to the closure, she stopped going to school and quit going to her job.

Starting point is 00:04:51 It is unclear where she went after the home closed, but she told staff member Brown that she ended up in a foster program for young adults that age out of traditional foster care. A little over a year after the home closed, Jerez became pregnant with Jordan. Fezjaya Brown thought the state missed its chance to help Cherise and Jordan, she said. The system failed baby Jordan before Baby Jordan was even thought of because it failed

Starting point is 00:05:17 Cherise. By early 2016, then-pregnant Cherise was living in Clearwater, Florida with Jordan Sr. and some of his extended family in his great grandmother's home. His mother, Jessica Belovow, also lived there, along with two of Jordan Senior's

Starting point is 00:05:33 male cousins and two of his paternal uncles. The family already had a reputation with local law enforcement, and several of the young men were believed to be members of gangs or gang associates. Officers reported dozens of interactions at the home in 2016, including recovering stolen vehicles from the property

Starting point is 00:05:52 and arresting wanted individuals. There had been several drive-by shootings at the house and a brick thrown through one of the windows. In June, officers noticed several adults loitering outside the home. They arrested one of the men on a warrant for robbery and aggravated battery. They also noted that a homicide suspect and a known offender were among the group questioned, but not detained. The next month, Jordan was born and Cherise brought him into an environment which, according to local police, the violence was only escalating. A couple of weeks after he was born, his great-grandmother Lori filed a police report because 145 hydrocodone pills had been stolen out of her car. But when police wanted to investigate, she wouldn't let them process it for

Starting point is 00:06:41 fingerprints or other evidence. Neighbors also reported that Jordan's father, and other occupants of the home would stand outside showing off their weapons. He wasn't well liked in the neighborhood and police suspected the shootings at the home were done in retaliation against him. October 29th, violence erupted once again. Someone shot at his father while he was standing outside. Jordan and another unnamed child were inside during this time. His father walked down the street and someone shot at him again. He also allegedly pointed a gun at a woman during this incident and threatened to kill her,

Starting point is 00:07:15 but the woman wouldn't cooperate with police, so no charges were ever filed. The violence triggered a report to the CA hotline, and the investigator came out to assess the situation. The report from that day noted that the home was filthy and disgusting. There was no food in the kitchen, even though Cherise was receiving food stamps. The report also noted that the parents knowingly allow their infant son to reside in a dangerous environment. The day that the investigator arrived, he found 10 to 15 people in the home, and most of them refused to provide any identification. Many were suspected gang members.

Starting point is 00:07:50 Some had previous felonies and many had firearms. The investigator asked the people who didn't live there to leave. When they left, Cherise left and took her baby Jordan with her. Even though the investigator knew she lived there. She refused to cooperate until she was told the investigator would get a court order forcing her to let him see the baby. Other allegations in the report were that Sharise and Jordan's father used weed and coke all of the time, and that Jordan Senior was

Starting point is 00:08:16 involved in stealing cars and selling drugs. Officer Frederick of the Clearwater Police Department told the investigator that he had told Jordan's grandmother, Jessica, that she needed to kick her son and other relatives out of the home because they were making it unsafe. She refused to do this. Jessica said the investigator was wrong. She said there was no gang activity at her home. Said her children were on gang lists, but only because they were related to other families. family members in the neighborhood, not because of their own actions. Jordan later denied the accusations in the report, including that he had been shot at, although the investigator said he admitted it happened at the time.

Starting point is 00:08:52 He said there were no guns in the house. Nobody smoking in the house. No drugs being sold out of the house. It wasn't dangerous. I just don't like how everybody is calling me a deadbeat. Great grandmother, who owned the home, didn't deny the presence of firearms, violence, and drugs. But she said the children were never in danger, she said. they never let the babies have any dealings with that.

Starting point is 00:09:14 If it was in the household, the babies didn't know, and the children always had food. They were never left hungry. As far as baby Jordan being put in danger, I don't think he was put in danger intentionally. Over the next two months, the agency worked on the case using the court system. They got a court order preventing Jordan Sr. and other relatives from being around the children, and they tried to get Cherise to leave the home. They offered her placement at Alpha House, which was a local shelter for pregnant women and babies, but she refused. According to the report, she and Jordan Sr. both failed to understand the danger the baby was in when around gang members

Starting point is 00:09:53 and refused to do anything to help keep him safe. The investigator was forced to recommend removal of the baby. The official cause for the removal was a hazardous environment and inadequate supervision. The agency didn't do an emergency removal, but instead scheduled a hearing. Teresa was supposed to take the baby to shelter court, where the removal would be made official, and she could hand Jordan over in a calm and safe manner. Instead, she took Jordan out of the county and left him with relatives in direct violation of the investigator's instructions. When she showed up at court without Jordan, the judge issued an order to have him removed directly from the home.

Starting point is 00:10:31 Even then, she was still uncooperative. She brought the baby back home but wouldn't answer the door when child protection officers arrived. They saw her running out the back door with the baby in hand. She realized she was caught. She ran back in the house and locked the doors again. CPS officials had to call the Clearwater Police Department. She eventually brought the baby out to officers, but she was yelling and cursing the entire time.

Starting point is 00:10:55 Instead of staying calm for the baby, she ensured it was a chaotic and traumatic day. Once removed from his parents' custody in January of 2016, 17. Jordan was placed with foster parents Sam and Juliet Warren. His time in foster care was full of everything his early life had been missing. His new home was clean and safe. He spent time at church with other children and playing at home with his foster sister. His foster parents took him on adventures to the park and the lake and the ocean. Sam called fostering and adopting an expression of God's heart saying you are literally looking after someone and loving them with your life. By all accounts, that is exactly

Starting point is 00:11:32 what he and Juliet did. They loved Jordan with their lives. They wanted to adopt him and make him a permanent part of their family, but his mother was still fighting to get Jordan back. That same month January 2017, Cherise called the police and claimed that Jordan Sr. had choked her and held a gun to her head. The officer that responded noted that she had red marks and bruises around her throat. He was arrested in charge with DV and aggravated assault, but Sheree decided not to press charges. In April, Charisse was arrested for DV herself. She caught Jordan Sr. texting his ex-girlfriends and admitted she pushed him during an argument about the messages. The next day, he decided to drop the charges and asked to drop the restraining order. Still, none of these arrests resulted in any

Starting point is 00:12:21 changes to their case plan, and Charisse was allowed visitation with Jordan as long as she didn't take him around his father. On June 18th, she had an unsupervised. visit with baby Jordan. It was father's day, so she decided to let Jordan Senior see the baby, even though she wasn't supposed to, because he was only allowed to have supervised visit. They met at Burger King, and the baby's grandmother, Jessica, came along as well. Inside, they ran into Danielle Ellis, a woman they knew from the neighborhood. A fight broke out, though reports of the fight vary. Some say Jordan Sr. was fighting with the woman, but Jessica said she was the one who got into the fight with Danielle. Some reports say,

Starting point is 00:13:01 Cherise only tried to break up the fight. Others say she was also throwing punches. Jessica said, Cherise was trying to get out of the way. As much as I despise her, she was actually trying to protect the baby in that incident. That incident had nothing to do with her and Jordan Sr. It was my incident. But all the reports agree that Sharice was holding 10-month-old Jordan when the woman tried to punch Sharis, missed, and instead hit baby Jordan in the mouth. The EMTs were summoned to the seen along with police. He found that his lip was swollen, need a small cut inside of it. Jerees declined medical treatment. The officer said the baby was calm and did not appear to be in any distress. No arrests were made, but a follow-up report was done on the incident. In that report,

Starting point is 00:13:46 the CPS investigator noted, she did not seem to recognize that being near the fight with the child in her arms put the child in an unsafe situation. During the investigation, a recommendation was made to drug test both parents, but the case manager said that wasn't part of their case plan. At her next court hearing, Cherise lied and downplayed the severity of the incident and the injuries to baby Jordan, so no changes were made to their case plans. Contents of the case plan would turn out to be one of the agency's biggest mistakes. Jordan Sr. and Cherise had a number of problems that were never addressed in the plan. They were using substances, they both had violent tempers, but they hadn't completed DV or substance use assessments.

Starting point is 00:14:30 Cherise admitted she had anger issues, and she might have had an undiagnosed mental illness, but she was receiving no targeted help. And even though Cherise had already broken the rules and been uncooperative several times, nothing in the plan required her to cooperate with her case managers and other officials. All of these issues should have been in the case plan. They should have been addressed with services when possible, like DV education and mental health evaluations. And there should have been clear consequences listed if Cherise didn't cooperate or follow the rules. Instead, the case plan focused on the danger of the environment. This meant that once Charisse moved to an apartment in Largo, she could legally get Baby Jordan back,

Starting point is 00:15:13 even though she hadn't gotten the help she needed to take care of him safely. It also meant that once her case manager changed, the new manager never considered that she or Jordan would hurt their child. Now, Cherise was a slick talker. She had been thrown out of her counseling program because she had stopped going, but she never admitted that in court. Instead, she focused on what she thought she was entitled to without ever admitting to what she was doing wrong. At a hearing in early March 2018, she continued this behavior. In audio released by the state, the Guardian ad litem can be heard asking about whether she has completed her counseling. But Sharise's, doesn't answer. Instead, she claimed that she had done everything that had been asked. She made

Starting point is 00:16:00 it seem like the guardian Adelaide was taking too long to verify the paperwork, but she didn't have the required documentation because it didn't exist. At one point, Cherise even cried. Her performance was convincing, but her statements were full of lies. Jordan Bellaview, 160640. This is a status hearing. Is mother here? State your name, please. Cherie Spence and his father here. Yes. State your name.

Starting point is 00:16:34 Anyone else? Child was excused? Yes, I don't have a date. November 1st, 2016. Thanks, Mom. All right, this was set to address unsupervised overnights and the progress of reunification for the mother. mother's home study was denied or is it just mom not mom and dad right so the parents are together

Starting point is 00:17:03 hold on mom you'll get your chance all right so parents are together and the home study was denied because so I saw a visitation plan but it just reflects supervised visits so the parents are not having unsupervised all right um turning price Yes, we're seeking reunification. Mother has completed her pay plan. Father is prepared to move out of the home today and continue to

Starting point is 00:17:32 pay half of the rent for the mother. Okay. Well, anything from Garnadle, apart from what the department has said. No, we were recently appointed. So this case, we have gone out to do a visit to the child from the home, but we haven't

Starting point is 00:17:48 been able to observe the parents with their child yet, so we're working on that. Okay. All right, so unfortunately, because father's still in the home, we can't reunify today, the department would need time to verify the father's out of the home, and that mom is doing this on her own without him. So the motion for reinification from the mother is denied. If that occurs and the department is able to do an updated home study,

Starting point is 00:18:19 a motion for indication would have to be heard before the judge. For clarification, are you saying the father cannot contribute half of the rent to the mother? No. Did I say that? No. No, of course not. So that's acceptable. Well, I mean, the agency will have to take that into the cattle. That would be, I can't say it's acceptable. I mean, that's something that's going to happen in the future. He hasn't even left yet. So, yes, ma'am. Well, I am the only one on the lease, so if he has to leave today, he can leave today.

Starting point is 00:18:50 Like, we've already discussed that. thing is they keep saying they keep setting back dates and my problem is is that every time they set back a date it's on their time like we're ready to get this so like we've done everything like I don't know what else like what do you want us to do because like I don't know what reports they're talking about but we haven't had any issues at all like we work together on everything we visit our son together I don't I don't see the problem of him not being able to come home to a family okay So is father not case plan compliant? Is that what's going on, Ms. Garcia?

Starting point is 00:19:25 What assessment? His biotech or social? Okay, we were waiting on that. Okay. It's ongoing. Okay. Okay. So it sounds like you're a little bit ahead of the father, which is why we can't reunify with you,

Starting point is 00:19:55 while he's in your home. But if he does, did do the psychosocial. They said I don't have to go a little more. Yeah, they were going to send the paperwork over to Ariel. My last appointment is on 31st or next month. Of March? Yes, ma'am.

Starting point is 00:20:12 Okay. Yeah, they just need to verify everything. Unfortunately, it takes time. So how long would this take? Because, like, we're, like, ready. Like, I really, like, seriously, I'm going to cry. It's like, we've pitted out of daycare. Like, we've done everything.

Starting point is 00:20:28 Well, now you're talking about two. pass. No, but we've done everything for him to come home. I understand you're upset, but now you're talking about dad moving out or dad not moving out. That's not what I said, though. That's what I heard. You said he'll move out today.

Starting point is 00:20:47 No, he will move out today if that's what they want him to do. He can move out today because I'm the only one on the lease anyway. We're just trying to figure out why we keep taking steps back when we're trying to get 10 steps ahead. Because you two are not in the same place. That's why. So, I mean the department, I'm sure Ms. Garcia is a very good case manager. Not really.

Starting point is 00:21:13 Well, ma'am, now you're just being disrupted. And I'm sorry, but I'm going to be right. So why don't you stop interrupting me and listen? Because you're not helping yourself right now, and I don't want to see that. So it's kind of precarious right now because the dad has engaged, did his psychosocial. The department needs to review that. and it's very possible the parents could stay together. Well, there's also the issues of 911 calls.

Starting point is 00:21:43 Those will have to be looked into. I mean, there's a lot going on here. And who called? And who really called? Because I just went to court for the same lady who made a false allegation for my son to get taken away. And she's on her way to jail for making false allegations. So she might have made those calls against us. But I honestly don't know what police reports they are talking about.

Starting point is 00:22:04 We don't even have time to argue we work so much. And those reports are not being determined here today right now. So maybe the answer, instead of waiting until June, is to set this for another status hearing. And, Dad, you said you'll be done by... I wish I could. He hasn't left Ms. Price. I'm not going to address that if he's still there.

Starting point is 00:22:54 So one of the problems is, Mr. Krippen, I don't have any time. Well, I have April 23rd. Sure. April 23rd at 1. The guardian out of Lyden would not object, and I'm asking for unsupervised. That would be for the parents to visit separately, or just for the mother? The mother can have unsupert.

Starting point is 00:23:34 Okay. Okay. I recommend that. At the end of the hearing, they scheduled the next one for April 23rd. At that next hearing, Cherise got what she wanted. The magistrate recommended Jordan B returned to her custody. The Guardian Adelaideom was still against reunification. She still hadn't gotten the documentation that Cherise had been attending her required counseling sessions,

Starting point is 00:24:01 but the magistrate overruled her objection. The case manager supported reunification, and the magistrate, reading that the main problem had been the hazardous environment, determined that no evidence was presented to show that the circumstances that caused the out-of-home placement have not been remedied to the extent that the return of the child to the mother's care with an in-home safety plan will not be detrimental to the child's safety. Jerez was given overnight visitations starting in 10 days and her reunification was to happen in no more than 20 days. Her reunification was set for May 31st and after another hearing, Jordan Seniors was set for June 11th.

Starting point is 00:24:45 The case manager promised the foster parents that they would do everything possible to ensure Jordan's safety. He would check on the boy twice a week, and Cherise would have services to help her adjust to being Jordan's full-time caregiver. But when she continued to be as uncooperative as she had been the entire time, those promises were soon broken. During the pre-unification period, Charisse was required to attend five appointments with a clinician in order to prepare for the transfer of custody. She missed three of those appointments, but the case manager didn't slow down or stop the transfer. After Jordan was handed over to her,

Starting point is 00:25:22 she was supposed to attend 11 appointments designed to help her deal with a transition that was bound to be difficult. She missed seven of those appointments. Case manager could have flagged her as non-compliant and slowed the reunification process down, but chose not to. When the case manager, guardian ad litem, showed up to check on Jordan,

Starting point is 00:25:42 Charisse repeatedly refused to let them in, either lying and saying she wasn't home or not answering the door. Not surprisingly, the small amount of progress Cherise had made soon fell apart. After Jordan's seniors' rights were reinstated in June, the couple was finally allowed to live together as a family. But what sounded simple on paper was incredibly difficult in reality.

Starting point is 00:26:03 Jordan had been taken away from the home he'd been in as long as he could remember, the home he'd lived in for 18 months. And remember, by this time he was only 24 months old. Though he was usually a happy and easy baby, it is likely he struggled with the abrupt transition, and Cherise had very little experience as a primary caretaker of a baby. The first six months that she had Jordan, she had the help of her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law.

Starting point is 00:26:27 Managing work and a new baby is difficult for all couples, but even more difficult for an unstable couple prone to violence. After less than a month as a family, Jordan Sr. wanted to end his relationship with Cherise, and their problems boiled over into violence. July 15th, Cherise called the police because of a DVy, incident with Jordan Sr. Exact details about what occurred are unclear.

Starting point is 00:26:50 They were arguing about custody of Jordan. Sources say Jordan was dropping his son off and Sherees wasn't ready to take him back. Other sources say the father wanted to see the baby and Sheree wouldn't let him. Jordan Sr. denied that a physical altercation had taken place, but Sheree's mouth was swollen and her lip was bleeding. Still, he wasn't arrested until he told the police, I quote, there is going to be a lot of dead cops tomorrow, and I'm going to kill that bitch, too.

Starting point is 00:27:18 Responding officers should have called the CA hotline and reported the incident because it involved baby Jordan and happened when he was present. However, they did not. It's worth taking a second here to explain why that Ms. Phone Call was so important in this case. In most states, Child Protective Services is part of the state's Family Services Division. Now, in Florida, several counties decided in the 1990s to put the local sheriff's department in charge of those investigations of CA. And those police departments contracted the case management and social services required to outside companies. In Jordan's case, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office hired a company called Directions for a living. They provided the case management and hired another company, Eckerd Connects, to provide the community-based care.

Starting point is 00:28:09 The primary way to communicate serious issues to the other agencies was far from high tech. The agency with the important info was supposed to call the CA hotline and file a report, so the information could be added to the case file. But even though everyone involved was a mandatory reporter, including the police officers, that didn't always happen. So when the officers who arrested Jordan Sr. forgot to call, their oversight meant that no one who could have helped the baby had information about how this situation had dangerously escalated. It wasn't discovered until the case manager completed his

Starting point is 00:28:48 monthly check for 911 calls on August 3rd and discovered the police report. The incident was reported to the CA hotline at that time and an investigator was assigned. When the investigator showed up the next day on August 4th, Jerees refused to open the door. He had to call the police to the residents and they had to negotiate for almost two hours and use their bullhorn to demand entrance before she allowed the investigator inside. Despite her unhinged and uncooperative behavior, the investigator decided the danger had passed since the father was no longer living in the home and a restraining order had been issued. The purpose of his investigation was to determine whether the father was a threat to the baby, but he overlooked signs that the mother was unstable and

Starting point is 00:29:31 clearly struggling. Meanwhile, Jerese's life was falling apart. She wanted to continue the relationship with Jordan's father, but he wasn't interested. He was no longer helping her pay for the apartment. She had lost her job and was going to be evicted. Most of her furniture had been repossessed, leaving her apartment bare. She was five months pregnant with another baby. When her caseworker wanted to stop by, she either had an excuse or would not answer the door. The Gardney Adelaideum tried to visit on August 24th, but Charisse wouldn't let her inside.

Starting point is 00:30:02 Finally, on August 31st, she met with her case manager. She was emotional during the meeting and said, I'm trying my best, but it seems like it's not enough. The manager warned her that if she didn't address all the issues, she would lose custody of her son. She told him she was worried if Jordan went to live with his dad, that she wouldn't be allowed to see him. They discussed her mounting problems and went over possible solutions for her,

Starting point is 00:30:26 including new places to live. He took pictures of Jordan, who looked sad without the smile he wore in most other pictures. They spoke for more than an hour. By the end, the manager said she appeared to be much calmer, told her, everything is going to be okay before leaving. Though he visited her on Friday, he didn't update his case notes until two days later on September 2nd. In the early hours of September 2nd, a bruised and staggering Cherise entered a Hampton Inn and collapsed on the floor of the lobby. She told hotel staff she had been assaulted and needed to call 911. She told detectives that she had been walking to Jordan's father's house while carrying the baby in her arms.

Starting point is 00:31:07 When a stranger in a white Toyota Camry offered her a ride, she accepted because the walk was so long and Jordan was getting too heavy to carry. Inside the car, she said the stranger told her his name was Antoine and he propositioned her for an intimate favor. She said she put Jordan in the backseat and did what he asked for, but refused when he asked for another favor. She said, he hit me on this side, like with his fists like this. And then I even told the lady to see if she could get DNA in my hair because he did pull my hair and kept hitting me. He had like a mason jar with weed in it and he kept hitting me with that. After hitting her with a jar, he punched her multiple times in the face and mouth, according to Sherees. She tried to open the car door, but said that after that everything was just a blur.

Starting point is 00:31:58 She lost consciousness and woke up in a wooded section of Central Largo Park alone. Officers were skeptical but worried about the missing boy, so they proceeded as if her story was true and launched a full-scale search for him. Police brought in canine units, helicopters, and divers to search the park, but they found no sign of Jordan. He issued an amber alert for the missing boy and asked the public to be on a lookout for a two-year-old wearing a blue shirt with the number 72 on the front, blue gym shorts, black socks, and black and white sneakers.

Starting point is 00:32:30 The alert also mentioned a cut on Jordan's chin, an injury that didn't appear in the picture the case manager took two days prior. Police had found blood and bloody children's clothes rolled up in a carpet outside Sharice's apartment, but Sharice explained it away as just an old injury. She said a week prior, Jordan had accidentally fallen and hurt his chin, and she had taken him to get butterfly stitches. This wasn't her first lie. It was among several that raised the suspicion of officers.

Starting point is 00:32:59 She sat with a sketch artist and provided details for a drawing of Antoine. The artist asked her to describe his hair, she said, and these are Sharisa's words. I believe it was either brown or black, and he had dreadlocks. They were kind of large. They were pretty fat. She said he was about 25 years old, wearing a white tank top and black basketball shorts and had gold teeth. She also provided additional details about the Camry, saying it had a white grill, and dark-tinted windows.

Starting point is 00:33:27 She set a set of rosary beads and a black ice air freshener hung from the rearview mirror. A sketch of Antoine was released to the public. Jordan Sr. had an alibi for the evening. He had planned a weekend at a hotel to celebrate his 22nd birthday and was away from the home overnight.

Starting point is 00:33:43 When he heard that baby Jordan was missing, he texted Cherie saying, I know you know where he is. She responded, Jojo, all I remember is getting a ride and waking up in the ambulance. Jordan Sr's mother, Jessica, was frustrated with the way the media was portraying her son. She said, what my son did years ago has nothing to do what is going on right here, right now.

Starting point is 00:34:06 She also wanted everyone to know that he loved his baby Jordan. No matter what had happened, she said, just because his parents didn't get along doesn't mean Jordan was unloved. My son loved that baby. On September 3rd, Largo Police Major Stephen Slaughter asked the public for help. He asked locals to check their surveillance cameras for any footage of Cherise, Jordan, Antoine, or the White Camry. He said, we're still hoping for that one big break. We just haven't received that tip yet. Somebody saw something.

Starting point is 00:34:37 Know something. We want them to reach out. Family members and volunteers from the community searched the streets, checking dumpsters in any place they thought a small child could have been hidden. On September 4th, the search continued. By this time, officers had been searching for almost 60 hours, and the county had spent close to a half a million dollars of taxpayer money. Still, any amount of money would have been worth it

Starting point is 00:35:03 if they could still bring Jordan safely home. Major Slaughter said in a news conference that morning, we're keeping a positive attitude because we are going to find Jordan. That is our goal. That is what we're here to do. But I will say that we need some help. He said the FBI, U.S. Marshals and Florida Department of Law Enforcement's child abduction response team offered to help with the search.

Starting point is 00:35:28 You're going to see boots on the ground today, and you're going to see boots on the ground tomorrow. Over 60 tips came into the department, and several were helpful in tracking her movements that night. Footage from the park showed Cherise climbing on playground equipment. Video from the lobby of the hotel showed her collapsing on the floor. Then a local homeowner showed officers' footage of Cherise walking down the sidewalk, carrying Jordan, limp in her arms. video taken 20 minutes later showed her walking without him, carrying only his green backpack. The biggest tip came from a friend who told police she had driven Cherise to a dumpster on the north side of the Largo Sports Complex. No details were released regarding when the friend drove her there, but the dumpster was a mile and a half away from the original search area.

Starting point is 00:36:12 When police searched the swampy, wooded area behind the baseball field, they found Jordan partially covered with vegetation and submerged in five to six inches of water. He was dead. He was decomposing. He had been there long enough that maggots had hatched and were feeding on his skin. He was wearing a blue shirt, a diaper, blue shorts, white socks, and only one black shoe as his left one was missing. He was not wrapped in a blanket. He'd have a toy. He'd never stuffed animal with him. Cherise hadn't chosen a nice dry spot under a tree with a nice view. None of the things people try to do to offer a small comfort to a loved one who was passed on.

Starting point is 00:36:50 She just dumped him and bought him. and left him there. It is unclear whether he was even dead when she left him or if he died there in the swamp alone. After word spread that Jordan had been found, Major Slaughter, who had been so hopeful just that morning made a brief announcement. He said, Jordan has been found in a wooded area behind me. We have no further statement at this time. News rocked the crowd. Grandmother Jessica broke down when she had heard the news. She said when she heard, her heart just broke and it's a pain I can't even describe. She stole his whole life from him. When asked if she wanted Cherise to get the death penalty, she said, the death penalty is too easy. I want her to live her

Starting point is 00:37:33 life out, knowing what she did to my grandson. On September 5th, the Largo Police held a press conference where they shared what details they were able to. So we are attempting right now to follow up and tie up all the leads we possibly can. One question that we had last, night was we had released a composite and information on an Antoine. We do not believe there was an Antoine. There was no Antoine related to this case. We don't believe there was a white Camry that was all fabricated by Ms. Stinson to help cover her alibi for what she'd actually done. So we are not currently looking for that person. We did release a video of a person that was at the 7-11 station at 1200 East Bay Drive. We are still looking for that person

Starting point is 00:38:20 as a potential witness, somebody that we would like to talk to to find out if he had any information or if he had actually spoken to Ms. Stinson on that night. Right now, like I said, it's active and I can't release a lot of information still based on the nature of the case. You guys have probably read the rest advisories, so you kind of have the gist. But I can tell you that her story about being in Central Park was a deception on her part. The detectives, the detectives The detectives have characterized her interviews as being deceptive, and she was not in Central Park, and she, in subsequent interviews, had admitted that she made up the story, that she had been in Largo Central Park. The injuries to her were, by her own admission, self-inflicted, and that in the time in question,

Starting point is 00:39:12 when she stated that she was unconscious in the park, she was actually at another location, which is where we subsequently found the body. Sir. You released a video from 7-Eleven. I've talked to detectives and we do have a video. I don't know what's on it and really in the rush of things that are occurring. We have not gone through all the pieces of evidence we have or, you know, we're doing our due diligence and taking now our time to make sure that we can examine everything and put it into place. Did you doubt her story from the beginning?

Starting point is 00:39:48 Initially, there were parts of her story that the detectives felt were, possibly not true. But at the same time, we're trying to find a missing child. So we have to kind of go with that as our main thrust. So yes, parts of her story didn't make sense. However, we know from working missing persons cases and working cases like these that sometimes people's recollections aren't good or they say things that are that are, that maybe look inaccurate on the face. So we kind of had to go with the fact that what she was saying was believable at the time. about what led you to the child's body, even if you can only talk about it in generalities? Generally speaking, we received information that led us to a particular area,

Starting point is 00:40:35 which was not an area that we had been looking for the child initially. So that led our detectives to that wooded area where they actually found the body. But this was not information provided by the mom. That's correct. What, can you talk a little bit about, we all were at the department conference yesterday. There was a clothing that was found wrapped up or rolled up in a wet rug. Was that, did that come into play into part of the investigation leading up to her arrest? That was, there was evidence at the scene that was collected.

Starting point is 00:41:04 The value of that evidence right now, we're not certain about. We know that there was a video that was on Facebook and Twitter about a rug outside and other information. I wouldn't say right now that that was key to our case. Any forthcoming arrest? No, we do not believe anyone else was involved, that she was the lone actor in this horrible crime, and so we are not looking for any other persons. However, we are asking the citizens to give us any more information they can, that if they have knowledge about what might have happened, a police call the Largo Police Department. That's correct. We believe this person was driving on East Bay Drive may have encountered Ms. Stinson that night and spoken to her,

Starting point is 00:41:50 But again, we would like to find out what this person had to say. We believe it was a passerby. We believe he was driving on East Bay Drive and may have just randomly encountered her. We don't know the autopsy will be going on this morning at 11 o'clock, and once the medical examiner does his investigation, we'll know a little bit more about how the child passed. We're not certain at this point. Can you talk to me about the child's status leading up to this murder?

Starting point is 00:42:31 In other words, in the weeks and months ahead of this, how long was that child in foster care? And when was the child returned to the mother? We're trying to put together a timeline of where this child was throughout its two-year life. Yeah, we're also trying to put together a timeline, so I can't give you specifics. I know that the child had been in foster care. I do know that DCF had been involved with an investigation into the family, and that DCF was out the Friday night before. before the child passed and had seen the child.

Starting point is 00:43:04 But other than that, I can't give you a timeline on that. Do you know when the child was, when the child returned to the mother's care? No, I don't. Approximately how long they've been together? I don't. Did she express? Can you talk a little bit about the,

Starting point is 00:43:16 there was a black duffel bag in the middle of the road when he showed up on Ms. Molling Road yesterday. Was a child in that bag? No, that was probably part of our equipment. There, we were, I'm not aware of any, any kind of evidence like that. that was found in the area of Lake Avenue. Can you provide any... Did the mother express any remorse since she's been arrested?

Starting point is 00:43:37 Has she said anything? According to the detectives, during her interview, she would constantly change what she was saying based on the line of questioning. There was no feeling with them that there was any remorse, only her attempting to escape the reality of the story by making things up as she went. Can you provide any details to the evidence

Starting point is 00:44:00 that you have found within the... apartment itself and how that corroborated with her admission or with your affidavit? Yeah, I can't comment on anything that was found in the apartment right now. Like I said, some of that evidence has not been processed yet. So I can't comment to the value of anything inside the apartment. Is there a possibility of any sort of charge because of the involvement of the Amber Alert system? For example, when 911 is used under false pretenses in any other certain situation, that can be

Starting point is 00:44:28 an additional charge. Is there anything like that possible for this case? I'm not aware of any charge specific to misuse of an amber alert system. In this particular case, I think she's being charged with what's appropriate, and it's enough that a misuse charge would probably be something that would be minor compared to everything else. Was Jordan wrapped in anything? Did he have any toys or anything? He was not wrapped in anything, and that's all I can say about that. You mentioned that she made admissions. Did she explain why she didn't reach out to rescue persons?

Starting point is 00:45:03 now while she claimed that the son was having seizures after being struck? I'm not privy to everything that was said during that interview. We had had multiple interviews with her over the days, so I can't tell you exactly what she did or didn't say over portions of it. Have you been a touch with the father? Yes, we had reached out to the father. Has he said anything? I'm not aware of what he may or may not have said.

Starting point is 00:45:29 You can you clarify something? When the press, the guest held presser, maybe a day or two ago, you said there was evidence that she was at, or there was some type of surveillance or some video that placed her at Largo Central Park? Is that changed now because now you're saying she fabricated the story? Was there ever any evidence that she was at Largo Central Park? She was at Largo Central Park. We do have video of her there. That was at the, after she made her way to the park and, where we knew that she had deposited Jordan.

Starting point is 00:46:02 She went to the park specifically with the intent of making up a story that she had been dumped in the park, self-inflicting injuries by her admission in the park, and then walking across the street to the Hampton Inn where she basically feigned unconsciousness, I think. Do you believe Jordan's body was moved from a different location to that wooden area? At this point, I think I just want to step in and say that we are right now doing an investigation into a criminal matter. What we're able to release is somewhat confidential at this point until the Pinellas Pascoe State Attorney's Office is able to properly investigate this case. I originally said in many impressors that our goal was to find Jordan, although that has happened. our goal now is a successful prosecution.

Starting point is 00:46:59 And in order to have a successful prosecution, there are some things that we're just not able to discuss yet. Meanwhile, detectives confronted Cherise with the truth. One told her they had found her son, he said, I saw him with my own eyes. I found him with my group of people. We found him right where you left him, wearing the clothes, wearing the shoes,

Starting point is 00:47:19 your lies are over. When asked if she got angry often, she talked about recent incidents where she had thrown a TV, a candle, and a bottle of juice. She also told detective she hadn't cleaned up the apartment or done the dishes in weeks. Eventually, she admitted that she had hit Jordan. She said he fell from his bed and hurt his right leg.

Starting point is 00:47:38 When he would not stop crying, she got frustrated and hit him in the face with the back of her hand. The blow was so hard that his head slammed into a wall. After this injury, she said he started to have seizures. Instead of taking him to get medical help, she took him to the woods and left him there. all alone. Cherise was arrested on September 4th, 2018.

Starting point is 00:48:00 She was charged with aggravated CA in murder in the first degree. Her bond for the CA charge was set at a half million dollars. However, Bond was withheld on the murder charge, so she remained in the Pinellas County Jail, as she should. Three months later, she gave birth to her daughter, Serenity Marie Stinson. Cherise had to return to jail while her baby remained at the hospital. Sam and Juliet Warren, the foster parent,

Starting point is 00:48:25 who had cared for Jordan had already filed paperwork with the court saying they wanted to adopt her. But Jordan Sr. had been working to turn his life around and he wanted custody of his daughter. On December 27th, Cherise wrote a letter asking the court to give custody to Jordan Sr. and his mother, Jessica. Both families hired lawyers and petitioned the court. Two months after that, Jordan's autopsy report was released on February 4th, 2019. The medical examiner found that his cause of death. death was blunt trauma, and the manner of death was homicide. Jordan's left leg was swollen, and his thigh bone was broken. He wouldn't and couldn't stop crying that night because he had a

Starting point is 00:49:06 broken leg. He also had a gaping wound on his chin that showed signs of healing. That meant it had happened sometime after the case manager took his picture, but before the time that he had died. His upper lip and frenulum, the piece of tissue inside the mouth that attaches the lips to the upper gums had been lacerated. He also had cuts on his scalp and bleeding beneath his scalp. His skull had been fractured and he was bleeding inside of his brain. If she had just stopped, got him help after his chin was gashed open or after he had broken his leg. It would have been able to be safe at the hospital and could have easily recovered, but that did not happen because she chose for it not to happen.

Starting point is 00:49:47 On October 13th, 2020, Teresa pled guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. A more serious charge of first-degree murder was dropped as part of her plea deal. She also pled guilty to making a false report to law enforcement and was fine $28,000. Cherise's mother attended the hearing and asked the judge to be more lenient, she said, I have more years behind me than I do in front of me. I would love the opportunity to hold my baby again, be able to fix dinner for her. Unmoved by this, the judge sentenced Charisse to 50 years in prison, with credit for the two years she had already served.

Starting point is 00:50:20 She was sent to the Lowell Correctional Institute in Marion County. She will be eligible for release on July 26, 267. Jordan Sr. didn't attend the hearing. He wasn't sure if he could emotionally handle it. He didn't want to cause a scene. When a reporter asked if Charisse's sentence was justice, he said he didn't think so. He said, I'm not nobody's creator.

Starting point is 00:50:43 Can't say when somebody dies, but that's what I would have liked. After her sentencing, Cherise made her own statement. She said, I want the court to know that I am not the same Cherise I was when I walked in. I've done a lot of things to change, and I'm continuing to change. For a while, I was so angry and bitter before I came to jail. I'm not held in bondage anymore, and that is the greatest gift that God has given me. And I thank my son for that, because I was lost for a long time. Yes, thanking her son for dying so that way she could be set free from her bondage, as she put it.

Starting point is 00:51:18 In regards to the 48 years she still had to serve, she said, It is a long time, but I will walk with my head held high. Though on the surface, she seemed to be saying positive things, but something about her statement just sounded wrong. Like holding your head up high over the fact that you murdered your son in cold blood. Now, later that same day, she granted a local reporter from WFLA, a jailhouse interview. Well, for the longest, I thought I was going to get a life sentence. You know, I thought I was going to get life in prison.

Starting point is 00:51:55 And then, let's see, I just literally found out Friday that they accepted my offer. So I didn't really have too much time to, like, really, what's the word I was before, like, absorb it. But I knew that I didn't want to do life in prison. And then I also was thinking, okay, well, what is justice going to look like, you know, in the eyes of the media, in my eyes, in the bell of those eyes, like, what is justice? Because we'll never be able to have him back, you know what I'm saying? So I had to really think of a number that was going to please everybody and that was going to look justifiable, you know? So I don't know. I'm still trying to deal with it.

Starting point is 00:52:42 Cherise spoke about her love of God, how she found happiness in jail, and how her whole personality had changed because of her faith. Okay, so I was raised in the church when I was younger, but I always felt like I believed in God because my mom believed in God, like when my family believed to God. I didn't know God for myself, and honestly being in here, I had no strength. Like I had nobody to lean on, but God at that point, like, I had lost everything. So it got to the point where it's like, okay, either I'm just going to be miserable and continue to be miserable or I'm going to trust in God and actually like follow through with it. And it's the best thing I've ever done in my entire life. Next, the reporter asked the disgraced mother what she wanted viewers to know about the real Cherie Stinson.

Starting point is 00:53:35 noting that most people think of her as a monster and they're not wrong. Yeah. So for a while, I caught myself that. You know, for a while I hated myself. But I'm not the person that I was when I walked in this jail. I'm happy. I'm loving. I'm caring.

Starting point is 00:53:56 I'm sympathetic. You know, I'm kind now. I wasn't a kind person before. And I can admit that for myself. And I'm actually kind. And it's crazy because I have so many women in here that actually applaud me on strength. And I'm like, don't give me that because that comes from God and God alone because without God, I would not have strength. There's a lot of women in here that just want to give up and they're facing county time.

Starting point is 00:54:24 You know what I'm saying? Like they've never even walked them out in my shoes and they want to give up. You know, and I haven't. And the only reason why I haven't given up is not because of me. is because I owe my son that. I owe him to change. I owe him to change because if I didn't change, none of this would matter.

Starting point is 00:54:46 You know, like, so I owe him that. I do that for him. I couldn't protect him the way I should have. So this is my way of giving back to him. The reporter asked Cherise what led her down the dark path that resulted in the death of her little boy. He referred to it as some sort of hell that Cherise went through. It's really hard when you don't have support, like when you don't have anybody, you know, and I had nobody.

Starting point is 00:55:17 I had, it was just me and my son, and I was already pregnant, and I was suffering through postpartum depression from my previous pregnancy. And I didn't know what postpartum depression was because in black households, they tend not to believe in suicide or depression. and stuff like that. And it's wrong to even have that mind said, you know. But I was going through a lot of depression. Like, I didn't want to be here. So at the time, I didn't want to be here. So it was just like, I was just in a dark, I hated everything.

Starting point is 00:55:54 I hated life. I hated myself. I didn't know how to love anybody. But I loved my son and I'm so disappointed in myself because he did not deserve what happened to him at all. no child deserves that, you know. And I pray to God that the Jordan law prevents this from happening. You know, I pray my situation prevents this from happening, like, because this is a tragedy,

Starting point is 00:56:22 you know, and I just really want people to see that you need unity, you need support, you need love, you need kindness, like, you need some, you need to be able to be like, hey, I need help and somebody not judge you for needing help, you know? So that's what I want people to just be more mindful and aware of what's going on with others, what's going around in the world today. Like, we need each other to lean on. She mentioned being sentenced to 50 days in solitary confinement, but didn't say what she had done to receive that punishment.

Starting point is 00:57:01 She said she spent that time talking to her son, that she told him she was sorry. but also told him that she had to move on. She apologized and said no child deserved what happened to her son, but something about her apology seemed hollow. The community held several prayer vigils in memorial services in Jordan's memory. His father's family attended a prayer vigil held on the evening of September 8th near where his body was found. His father did not speak, attendees gathered around him at one point during the service, placing their hands on his head and praying for him.

Starting point is 00:57:34 It's just so heartbreaking. Balloons rise up to the sky in memory of two-year-old Jordan Belavow. Family friends and strangers also lit candles honoring the little boy. It's so good to see a community come together for one little boy. Earlier, the group surrounded Jordan's father. They stood in a circle praying together and just about a mile away. That we can be able, almighty God, to show forth, oh, God, that we as a community can come together, that nothing like this happens again.

Starting point is 00:58:08 Another gathering near the area where Jordan was found. His own mother, Cherie Stinson, was arrested for killing him. I can't imagine a mom doing that to her baby. I can't imagine I would have taken him in in a heartbeat. Sherry Stolenthaler visited the memorial where many found comfort from each other. It broke my heart. We are out here for you. We're praying with you.

Starting point is 00:58:34 And they hope for Georgia. justice. There's so many people in this world that can't have children, and then these people that do have children, don't take care of them, kill them, you know? It's not right. It's cruel, and she needs to be put away for a very long time. On September 14th, a viewing was held for Jordan's family and friends at the St. John's Missionary Baptist Church in Clearwater, and he wore justice for Jordan T-shirts, his father's shirt had dad printed on the back. The funeral was held at the same church the next day. An image of Jordan wearing angel wings was printed on the front of the program, an image of his favorite Paw Patrol characters appeared behind him.

Starting point is 00:59:10 The poem inside the program read in part, Just believe that when you say my name, I'm standing next to you. I know you long to see me, but there's nothing I can do. I'll still send you messages and hope you understand, that when your time comes to cross over, I'll be there to take your hand. Jordan was cremated, and his grandmother said they would use some of the money raised by the community to buy necklaces to hold his ashes. In the wake of Jordan's death, questions were raised as to why so many red flags were missed

Starting point is 00:59:40 by her case manager. Learning more about the conversations Cherise Stinson had with her case manager, weeks before her two-year-old son, Jordan Belavow, was murdered. News Channel H. Jamel and A shows us exclusive text messages where Stinson did not cooperate. Various text messages show how Sheree Stinson was not cooperating with casework. workers who were worried about seeing Jordan. I do believe that their work is wonderful. I do believe that Eckerd's work is wonderful.

Starting point is 01:00:08 I just feel like the privatization of child safety is where the flaws lie. Former Directions for Life caseworker Becca Bryce says Cherise Stinson should have never gotten Jordan back. Her case plan did not include cooperate with case management and the guardian ad litem and it didn't include batterers intervention. It did not include domestic violence assessment or substance abuse assessment. Stinson was breaking down a month after she regained custody. Text messages to her case manager between July and August showed she wasn't getting along with the child's father, lying about being home for mandatory visits and not showing up.

Starting point is 01:00:43 These are the last pictures taken of Jordan Bellevaux after the caseworker demanded to see him in late August. The caseworker last saw Jordan Friday the day before he disappeared, but didn't enter the case notes until Sunday. An oversight that could have made the difference. says the system needs to change. I did my visits on Fridays and entered my notes on Sunday. Granted, that is technically against policy, but we don't have the support to do it any other way as case managers. We've learned the caseworker was assigned to Bellevost case in April. He's been with Directions for Living for three and a half years and is still working. April Lott, the CEO of Directions for Living, said Jordan's primary case manager had already left the agency. But his new case

Starting point is 01:01:29 manager and everyone else involved in his case were, and I quote, placed on an immediate corrective action plan last September. Now, this directly contradicts the news clip from WFLA that we just shared with you. Most of the action plan involved additional training, though, they did commit to improving communication between all the individuals working on a case. On September 12, 2018, Eckerd Connects, and Directions for Living held a joint press conference. We'll share some of that with you now. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. To me, I feel like they're really shirking responsibility.

Starting point is 01:02:10 Ms. Denson is the person responsible for this tragedy. This is a legal process, not only a social services process. We welcome the feedback of the independent review of the system of care by the Department of Children and Families and will implement every strategy necessary to continue to continue to to protect and serve our children. Case managers do not have the legal authority to remove a child or children from their caregivers. That responsibility lies with the child protective investigators.

Starting point is 01:02:41 I'll turn it back over to Chris. I think we're open for questions now. If somebody, yes, sir. Yeah, I wanted to raise a question concerning the custody of Jordan Bellavaux. There's been a report that as early as a day before, he disappeared. that there was a warning to his family that he was possibly going to be removed.

Starting point is 01:03:06 Was that true that your agency were trying to threat to remove him a day before he had disappeared? I don't know that there was a threat. There certainly was a discussion with mother that if Ms. Denson, that if she, you know, did not increase her participation in the activities that had been set forth by the court, that there would be the potential of a removal of her child. That's pretty standard dialogue during a home visit for, you know, parents who have been reunified and who have tasks that they need to complete. How long before that statement was made to her, what is the process that would happen after that that could carry out that statement?

Starting point is 01:03:55 The case manager and any other child welfare professional who was working with the family would have the opportunity to bring that to the attention of the child protective investigator assigned to the case there is still an open case there was an open case at the time so it would have been reported to the child protective investigator and or if they're you know and or calling another uh another abuse report into the hotline what at this incident show from the time um really from the beginning of 2018 until the child was put back in her home, what evidence had she showed that the problems in that home and with her and her boyfriend? What had she shown that she improved in any of those areas?

Starting point is 01:04:52 Ms. Stenson, the reason for removal was environmental hazards, and certainly from the time frame that you're referring to from 2000. 2018, she had secured independent housing that was free of those environmental hazards. She had secured employment, and she was cooperating in completing her therapy sessions. If I may, one of your caseworker, and this is in the documents released today, said essentially that all of those things fell apart almost as soon as the child was put back into the home, and she asked Ms. in that and the stints in God have said and began, I think it said, crying of I don't remember the exact verbiage used. So how could it have been so fragile that things fell apart almost as soon as the child was put back into the home? We are going to wait for the independent review to identify that.

Starting point is 01:05:54 I can't really speak to, you know, your statement that almost immediately. that it began to fall apart. I need to wait. Do you agree with that to the caseworker said? I don't believe. I don't know if the caseworker said that. Ms. Laude, the night before this child's murder, your caseworker visited the mother. At that point, he knew that in July there had been physical violence between the mother and the father. He knew that in August, the mother wouldn't open her door to child police investigator that had to take a police bullhorn to get, her to open the door and cooperate. Later, the week before, also knew that the guardian at

Starting point is 01:06:39 Lytum was refused access to the child, knew that the mother was being evicted, knew that the mother was pregnant, knew that things were being repossessed from the house. Her entire life, and more importantly, the bargain that she made with the court, the contract she made with the court, she wasn't holding up. So when you add up all of those things, why didn't your caseworker, either that night or on all those previous occasions, take any action to initiate the action of taking the child out of harm's life. The caseworker did not assess impending danger. The caseworker was, in fact, as you've indicated, in the home on the 31st on Friday, spent a significant amount of time with mom, and the case manager did what case managers do, which is they assess and identify barriers, and begin to task, you know, manage around those and put into place how we can solve and resolve the barriers.

Starting point is 01:07:41 And in fact, that is what he did. I will say that the case manager also, after, you know, had conducted a 911 check post reunification. And that is when we were informed that a domestic violence call had been made. The case manager did call that into the hotline. The case manager did cooperate with child protective investigators during that process. The case manager did update the case plan to include that fact and to identify additional tasks. So I think to suggest that the case manager didn't do anything is a mischaracterization. The case manager did what that case manager believed to be right and in the best interest of that child.

Starting point is 01:08:29 If I could follow up when you say the 911 call, that was triggered by what? The abuse call was triggered by which event? As a part of the case plan, one of the strategies that we used and used often is to, on a routinely basis, on a monthly basis, to pull 911 checks to see if there's been any 911 calls to a home. We did that as a part of our case plan. and when we did that, that is when we were notified of that domestic insurance incident that took place in July. And then we called a hotline, and the hotline investigator came out and did their investigation. But in that situation, again, when there was a visit by the CPI investigator,

Starting point is 01:09:15 it took Largo police with a bullhorn and an hour and a half or two hours of negotiation for this woman to even open the door. wasn't that in and of itself reason to think this child was in danger? It was a virtual standoff. That would be a question for Largo Police Department. Not Largo. The question if your case worker was managing the case, he knew about it. But it would be, that's a protective investigation decision,

Starting point is 01:09:42 and the protective investigator had declared that there weren't sufficient grounds to remove. Our case manager is the only thing they would do, call that investigator back again and say what do you think and they've already said we don't have grounds so that's i mean we're not trying to excuse this we're not trying not trying to make uh light of it but but there was that that event and that investigation that took place and they did not find grounds how many how many times was jordan removed from the home in his two years of life once just once was that in the in may We also hear that in November 4th of 2016, that he was removed, that he was reunified in May of this year.

Starting point is 01:10:31 So he'd been out of his mother's care for that length of time. And could you explain to us, we're trying to understand what was it that made the magistrate decide that it was safe for him to return home in May? And then three months later, he ended up being dead. There were identified conditions for return and those conditions for return had been met. What were those conditions? The one of the conditions was that the mother and or parents had a safe environment that was free of environmental hazards, which was the original reason the child came into care, that the parent had, um, stable employment that the parent could demonstrate the maturity level to take care of her

Starting point is 01:11:24 child that the parent mother would understand the relationship between you know being exposed to gun violence and or gang violence would be harmful to the child and it's important to note that the parents were represented by legal counsel who are advocating in that courtroom for their the rights of the parents there was also for also in that court guardian ad litem who was aggravating for the child and they had said that they did not recommend that he be put back into their care how much weight does their opinion carry in this again I believe that that question is probably for someone other than us I will say no no they do not they're a volunteer there are a volunteer group I understand they're separate and independent organization from either one of us but Does Eckert connect or directions for living give an opinion to the court on whether someone should be returned to a child should be returned to a parent?

Starting point is 01:12:22 Yes. What was your recommendation on that day? Our recommendation on that day was to move forward towards reunification on the particular day that you're referring to. There was an objection by all parties based on the fact that there was not supporting documentation in the record to support Ms. Stinson's claim to have completed her counseling. So there was an objection by all parties, including the guardian at Lytum and the case manager referencing those documents. One of the fundamental requirements in that court order which returned the child to the parents is that the mother should have stable housing and income. Your caseworker knew for months she didn't have either. She was being evicted.

Starting point is 01:13:06 She was jobless. She had no furniture. It was being repossessed. It was domestic violence. She wasn't cooperating with your caseworker, other investigators, the guardian ad litem. How does any of that not add up to danger for that child? The issue around stable housing is, you know, one that we face routinely. Many of our parents are get into housing, maintain housing for four months,

Starting point is 01:13:35 and then housing becomes unstable. Again, you know, permanent housing, affordable housing in Pinellas County is difficult. And the fact that she was behind in her rent had been identified. And we were working in partnership with her to either pay the back rent and stabilize her as she went on job interviews and continued to seek and gain meaningful employment. But again, it wasn't just the fact that she was going to be evicted. She didn't have a job. She was going to be evicted. They had been domestic violence.

Starting point is 01:14:16 She was refusing to cooperate with anybody involved in the case. How could all of that be ignored and not brought to the attention of the court? Why wasn't this brought to the attention of the court? So one thing I would add to that is that we work with these families all the time in housing and employment. and she knew that we would secure housing for her. She had identified a couple of places that she thought would be good for her and affordable, and also with employment. We work with these families all the time in these arenas.

Starting point is 01:14:50 Remember, the issues that initiated this case were not that mom was abusive towards her child. It was that she was living in a dangerous place, and we were committed to helping her stay out of that dangerous place. I have a couple questions. I understand the hearing it happened before that. But the final order was signed by a judge on the 16th. So you've got the incident, the charges being filed, and then the final approval given on the 16th.

Starting point is 01:15:29 Three successive days, literally, one after the other. How is it possible that a judge is able to stamp a document the day before there was a physical altercation over this child? child. Is there no safeguard in place? And how do you explain to all the people with children in the system that that could have happened? The safeguard that is in place is that when the responding law enforcement agency responds to a domestic violence call, they are a mandated reporter, just like most of us, probably in this room. If they assess danger to that child as As a result of that domestic violence incident, they are mandated reporters to call that in. I can't speak for the responding law enforcement agency in this instance.

Starting point is 01:16:27 If they had assessed present danger, if they had assessed that child was in peril, they would have called that in to the hotline. Had that happened, we would have brought that immediately to the attention of the court. I just want to be clear. So you're saying that that either of your... group, neither of your groups were made aware that there was a physical altercation between the two parents literally over the child in question the day before this was given. That is correct.

Starting point is 01:16:57 You were not made aware. That is correct. And the way we were made aware is when the case manager doing his job did a 911 check. And when he did the 911 check, there it appeared. And the minute it appeared, he brought that to the attention of leadership. It was called into the high- an abuse report was generated. A child protective investigator commenced the next day and went in and began their investigation. The case plan was updated to reflect that fact and submitted to the court.

Starting point is 01:17:31 The investigation into his death found that Jordan should not have been reunified with his parents. The decision to do so was driven primarily by the parents perceived compliance to case plan tasks and not because of changes in behavior or lifestyle. The biggest contributing factors were Sharisa's lies about what was happening, important emissions in the case plan, and failure to identify clearly observable dangers. The investigation found that Jordan should have been removed from the home in August. Florida Secretary of the Department of Children and Families, Chad Popple, said, reviewing the events that led up to Jordan's death is incredibly saddening.

Starting point is 01:18:09 Despite multiple opportunities, no one changed his circumstances. DCF policies were not followed. Communication throughout the process was poor, several clear warning signs were missed. There were even specific concerns raised that were not acted upon. This report should be a call to action for the entire child welfare system, and I intend to treat it as one. After Jordan's death, Representative Chris Latvalla wrote and pushed for Jordan's law in his memory.

Starting point is 01:18:36 This was the law that Charisse was referring to in her jailhouse interview. It took two years, but he finally got it passed and said, signed into law in 2020. One of the goals of the law was to reduce caseloads from 30 to 15 per caseworker. However, the law didn't include any funding to implement the suggested reforms. The events of 2020 made the situation even more dire. The common number of caseloads rose from 30 in 2018 to 40 and even 50. Over $200 million of funding was pushed through in 2021, but turnover in the agency still remained high. In 2023, in part because of Jordan and other high-profile cases like his, Florida decided to undo the experiment they started in the 1990s. Legislation was passed requiring

Starting point is 01:19:22 the county sheriffs to hand child protection services back to the state, where it will be managed by the Department of Children and Families. Only time will tell if this results in better outcomes or not. Jordan's grandmother filed a wrongful death suit against Cherise and the two agencies involved in managing Jordan's case, accurate in directions for living. The lawsuit appears to still be open. There hasn't been a new motion in the last four years regarding it. Jordan's foster parents released a written statement about his sister. They wrote, Last fall, we were broken by the death of a child we loved dearly. As the fall continued, the question of what would happen to Jordan's little sister began to weigh on us. We knew that

Starting point is 01:20:08 Cherise would not be able to care for her. After much prayer, we approached Charisse about allowing us to adopt the baby, and she agreed. Though she later wrote a letter on behalf of Jordan Sr., her support for the Warrens meant Sam and Juliet were able to take baby Jordan's sister home the day after she was born. The adoption was finalized in November of 2020. They wanted to let everyone know that Jordan's sister is being taken care of, saying, we wanted to make it clear that this beautiful girl is safe, healthy, and deeply loved.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Jordan Belliveau

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