A child was found dead in the woods and now the mother is facing murder charges.
What to Know
- Charisse Stinson was arrested Tuesday on a charge of first-degree murder after the body of her 2-year-old son was found in Pinellas County
- Jordan Belliveau was the subject of a statewide Amber Alert after his mother told police a stranger knocked her out and her son went missing
- His body was found days later in a wooded area near Lake Avenue and McMullen Road, Largo police said
A mother admitted to killing her 2-year-old son and was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder after the body of the boy who was the subject of a Florida-wide Amber Alert was found Tuesday afternoon, police officials said.
The body of Jordan Belliveau was found in a wooded area near Lake Avenue and McMullen Road, Largo police said in a news conference.
The boy's mother, 21-year-old Charisse Stinson, was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder, police said.
"This is a very emotional time," said Police Chief Jeff Undestad. "This was a job that took a lot of resources and teamwork."
Stinson admitted to police during a post miranda interview that her son had a serious unexplained injury to his right leg. During a moment of frustration, Stinson told police she struck Belliveau in the face with the back of her hand, which caused the back of his head to hit a wall.
After the blow to the head, the child suffered from seizures during the night, which ultimately led to his death.
Stinson then told police she took the child's body to the woods and left it there.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an Amber Alert early Sunday after Stinson told police her son went missing.
Local
According to police, Stinson had said a stranger offered her and her son a ride on Saturday but then knocked her unconscious. Stinson said she woke up hours later in Largo's Central Park in Pinellas County and her son was nowhere to be found.
The search for a suspect and a white Toyota Camry went on for almost three days. Officials also searched inside of trash containers for signs of the 2-year-old boy. Police even released a sketch of a suspect, who was described as a 25-year-old with brown hair, brown eyes with "dreadlocks and gold teeth."
During a press conference on Monday, Largo Police Maj. Stephen Slaughter called Stinson a "struggling single mom" as he confirmed that child protective services previously investigated the family for domestic violence.
Slaughter said Stinson and Jordan's father, Jordan Belliveau Sr., both have a "longstanding history" of domestic violence.
A July 14 police report said Belliveau Sr. was arrested for punching Stinson in the mouth. The report alleged that Belliveau Sr. brought Jordan back to Stinson to exchange custody but punched her during an altercation after Stinson told him she did not want Jordan back "yet."
Bloodied clothes and items were found inside of Stinson's apartment after a search by authorities, Slaughter confirmed Monday.
Slaughter said the previous domestic violence cases and a separate child protective services investigation were part of the missing child case.
Amid reports of child abuse, Slaughter on Tuesday clarified a previous statement he made in which he said Jordan sustained a cut that required stitches by adding that he thought Jordan had possibly fallen.
Stinson's story had been considered suspect by some, but when Slaughter was asked by WFLA Monday if she had been "100 percent truthful with investigators," he said, "I feel that she's answered all our questions so we can continue our investigation."
