The mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son in Largo, Florida, has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
Charisse Stinson reported her son missing earlier this week and an Amber Alert was issued for Jordan Belliveau on Monday. The mother said she had been attacked and when she woke up, her little boy was gone.
Police believe it was all a lie.
“In interviewing the mother last night, she made significant admissions into what had happened to her child, which led us to have probable cause to arrest her in the death,” Largo police Lt. Randall Chaney said Wednesday at a news conference.
Stinson said that during a moment of frustration she struck Jordan in the face with the back of her hand after he had suffered a serious injury to his right leg, according to an arrest affidavit. His head struck a wall and he suffered seizures during the night. As his health declined the next day, Stinson carried him to a wooded area and left him there, police said.
In court, Stinson was formally charged and a judge set a bond of $500,000 for a child abuse charge and no bond for the murder charge. She was appointed a public defender.
Stinson first told authorities she accepted a ride on Saturday night from a man named “Antwan,” who then attacked her, knocked her unconscious and took her son. The man was described as about 25 years old, with dreadlocks and gold teeth.
Chaney said police don’t believe an “Antwan” exists, and the white Toyota Camry he allegedly drove is fictitious as well.
“It was all fabricated by Ms. Stinson to help cover her alibi for what she’d actually done,” Chaney said.
Stinson initially told police she was unconscious for a time in a park after being struck. But during interviews, police discovered she was at a wooded location nearby. Injuries Stinson said she received were self-inflicted, Chaney said.
The toddler’s body was found uncovered in the wooded area on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The Florida Department of Children and Families, without elaborating, said it had previous contact with the family.
Stinson and Jordan Belliveau Sr. had previously lost custody of the child, according to Child Protection Investigation Division documents released Wednesday by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The documents indicated they had lost custody after at least two investigations regarding the child.
The allegations prompting the investigations include Jordan being in a dirty home with no food, being exposed to weapons and drugs, and having been injured when his mother carried him into a fight.
