The search for Florida two-year-old Jordan Belliveau came to a tragic end on Tuesday when police found his body in a wooded area in Largo.
Jordan’s mother, 21-year-old Charisse Stinson, had previously reported him missing.
She claimed he was abducted after she received a ride from a stranger and was knocked unconscious, prompting police to issue an Amber Alert.
After his body was discovered, she admitted to striking Jordan in the head. He hit a wall, which caused him to start having seizures.
The injuries led to his death later that day and Stinson said she then dumped the body.
Now, Jordan’s former foster parents Sam and Juliet Warren are speaking out.
They said that he would still be alive and loved if the court had let him stay with them, ABC Action News reports.
Jordan, who the couple called “Mr. Chuckles,” was a light in the couple’s life for the one year and four months he lived with them. Sam said:
“He wasn’t just the boy in the Amber Alert. 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.”
He said Jordan was “failed by the system” when a court order sent him back to his mother.
If Jordan remained with them, he would have been safe, said the foster dad:
“Jordan came into our home January 2017, and he was returned to his mother on May 31st, 2018. We are devastated by his loss, [if not] for a court order, he would still be safe in our home.”
Jordan was put into foster care after police determined he was living in a dangerous home and was often surrounded by criminals.
The report read that the parents “fail to understand the danger the baby is in when around gang members,” according to the Tampa Bay Times.
It’s unclear why the child was returned back home to his mother, but his former foster parents believe he deserved better. Sam said:
“Jordan was failed by the system. He was failed by many people who would have protected him, but didn’t. Promises that were made to us about how he would be protected after his return were broken.”