Tom GantertLargo, FL – The foster family who was forced to give up a toddler to his mother, who later killed him, is in the process of adopting the slain boy’s baby sister.
“Last fall we were broken by the death of a child we loved dearly,” Sam and Juliet Warren said in a statement, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “As the fall continued, the question of what would happen to Jordan’s little sister began to weigh on us. We knew that Charisse would not be able to care for her. After much prayer, we approached Charisse about allowing us to adopt the baby, and she agreed.”
Two-year-old Jordan Belliveau lived with the Warrens for 18 months – from January of 2017 through May of 2018 – before the court returned the toddler to his biological mother. Charisse Stinson.
“Most folks knew the Jordan that was laid back with an easy smile and a twinkle in his eye,” the Warrens said. “He was our ‘Mr. Chuckles.'”
The toddler’s guardian ad litem fought the court order that removed Jordan from his foster family’s home and returned him to Stinson, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Five months later, Jordan disappeared and his mother reported him kidnapped.
Police said Stinson made up a story about how she and the little boy had been given a ride by a man who had knocked out Stinson and taken Jordan, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Stinson called 911 to report the toddler’s abduction and triggered a 60-hour search for Jordan and an Amber Alert.
Jordan’s body was found was found in the woods behind the Largo Sports Complex.
His mother later confessed to hitting the toddler in the head “during a moment of frustration” because of an “unexplained, serious injury” to his right leg, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Police said Jordan’s head hit the wall when his mother struck him, and the toddler went into seizures.
Stinson later confessed to having left Jordan in the woods in the middle of the night, according to the Associated Press.
She gave birth to a little girl named Serenity in prison and on Friday, Jordan’s former foster parents announced their plans to adopt her.
“Last fall, we were broken by the death of a child we loved dearly,” the Warrens said in a statement, according to WTVT. “As the fall continued, the question of what would happen to Jordan’s little sister began to weigh on us.”
“We knew that Charisse would not be able to care for her. After much prayer, we approached Charisse about allowing us to adopt the baby, and she agreed,” the statement continued. “She is with us now, and we are continuing the legal process to complete her adoption.”
However, the adoption may not go that smoothly.
Four days after Serenity was born, Stinson signed papers that confirmed Jordan Belliveau, Sr. was the lawful and biological father of Serenity and “should be given immediate full custody.”
But Belliveau’s history of gang activity and violence had played a factor in him losing custody of Jordan.
The father’s attorney, Jawdet Rubaii, said Belliveau is “is going to fight for custody and will eventually have custody.”
“[Belliveau] was never in a gang, is working full time, ready to be a great father, and has a large family support system,” Rubaii told WTVT.
Belliveau filed a petition for the court to confirm Serenity’s paternity and to grant custody of the baby to him, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“The child has a good father,” his attorney said. “My client is a reasonable person who just wants to have his child and wants to take care of his child properly.”