LARGO, Fla. -- Newly-released documents reveal family trouble just a day before 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau was reported missing in Largo.
Belliveau was found dead after an Amber Alert was sent out Sept. 2. His mom, Charisse Stinson, is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
Around 8 p.m. on Aug. 31, a case manager showed up at Stinson's home.
A week earlier, a coordinator with the Pinellas County Guardian ad Litem program -- which advocates for at-risk children -- was unable to get ahold of Stinson. The office said when attempts were made to reach Stinson, the call would either drop or she would hang up.
The coordinator was worried about who was watching Jordan.
The documents also mention an incident in which Jordan's dad was arrested for domestic violence and accused of hitting Stinson.
The coordinator expressed an interest in calling the police for a welfare check because the program was worried about Jordan's safety.
When the case manager presented the concerns to Stinson, she reportedly claimed she did not have a working phone. The case manager said that was not a good excuse.
The caseworker also explained that Jordan needed to be seen at least once a week. And, he could be removed from the home if changes were not made.
Jordan Belliveau was taken away from his parents
At five months old, Jordan was taken away from Stinson and Jordan Sr. and sent to live with a foster family.
The documents showed Stinson wanted to get her son back the whole time he was with the foster family. She strived to finish her GED, get a stable job and a stable place for baby Jordan to live.
But unlike Stinson’s effort to reunite with the baby, the documents indicated Jordan Sr. failed to comply with a case plan that was put in place. It reportedly took a year before he could show a stable income. And, he also took the same amount of time to complete a psychosocial evaluation, according to the documents.
Stinson made efforts to provide a stable home for Jordan at her sister’s house in Pasco County. But, due to the sister having an open abuse case and other issues, a caseworker deemed that home not suitable for Jordan to live, the documents showed.
In February, Stinson was able to find an apartment in Largo. It was furnished, documents show, and clean. She had completed everything on the case plan.
Jordan went back home on May 31.
The final weeks before Jordan's death
On June 21, a case manager showed up for an announced visit with Stinson, Jordan Sr. and baby Jordan. He noticed all three playing tag and Stinson changing one of Jordan’s diapers, the documented showed. Stinson told him things had been up and down with Jordan Sr.
The case manager also questioned what happened to the living room and the dining room set. The parents said they were not able to keep up with the payment, so the rental center had it picked up, the documented said.
On July 30, Stinson told a caseworker that things had been becoming more difficult.
She was getting evicted.
The caseworker told Stinson to have hope that the agency would help her get back on her feet, but she needed to communicate with them.
Weeks later, the case manager said they had a hard time getting ahold of Stinson, and she still needed to communicate better.
One day after the case manager met with Stinson on August 31, Stinson reported baby Jordan missing.
Days later, Jordan’s body was found, and Stinson was charged with his murder.
What Eckerd Connects and Directions for Living have to say
Eckerd Connects and Directions for Living, the companies tied to Jordan Belliveau’s case, held a press conference on Wednesday addressing questions about the tragic case.
Dr. Chris Card, Chief of Community Based Care at Eckerd Connects and April Lott, CEO/President of Directions for Living fielded the questions but started with these two statements:
“Thank you all for coming today, first allow me to acknowledge the sadness and grief we all feel over this horrific murder. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the foster parents who cared so lovingly for Jordan and to the family members and community members that knew and loved him. As a former case manager, I also know the anguish and heartache felt by our staff and know that this is the most difficult situation imaginable. It is a sobering time that underscores the serious nature of the work being done every day within our child welfare system. I want to echo the thoughts of Chief Undestad of Largo Police Department to encourage everyone to examine their capacity to become involved as a foster parent, case manager or mentor. We will try to answer questions to the best of our ability, but we do not want to get ahead of the independent review being conducted by the department of children and families.” Dr. Card said.
“On behalf of myself and the entire agency I too want to express my sorrow and heartbreak for this tragic loss for Jordan. I too have worked in this industry for 35 years and the loss of Jordan will be heavy on our hearts for the rest of our lives. We work hard every day and night to serve and protect children to improve the system of care and achieve permanency for our children. I do want to cover some important facts. We will not lose sight of the tragic loss of Jordan. No one could have predicted the behavior of this mother and this tragic outcome. Ms. Stinson is the person responsible for this tragedy. This is a legal process and social services process. We welcome the feedback of the independent review of the system of care by the dept of children and families and will implement every strategy necessary to continue 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 child protective investigators,” April Lott said.
Lott said the case manager reportedly visited the family at least 8 times after toddler Jordan was reunited with his mother again. The last time the case manager met with them was on August 31 and the case manager didn’t call to have the baby removed because he didn’t sense a threat.
“He believed based on his assessment and his relationship with Ms. Stinson that they had talked through the barriers and concerns and he had put a plan in place with her to address those concerns and those concerns were not that he believed she would harm let alone kill that child,” Lott said.
The other big question asked at the press conference: if the judge signed off on the reunification but there was a domestic violence incident the day before that decision was there no safeguard in place? Lott says the officer who responded to that incident would have been that safeguard, but that officer did not call it in.
“Had that happened we would have brought that immediately to the attention of the court,” Lott said.
To be clear, Lott said Eckerd Connects and Directions for Living did not know about the fight between the parents.
“That is correct. And the way we were made aware was 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 it to the attention of leadership, it was called into the hotline and abuse report was generated. A child protector 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,” Lott said.
The case manager involved in the case is still working. Lott said their case managers handle about 24 children each, but the ideal number would be much less around 15. The department of children and families is investigating Jordan’s death.
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