Results for: Child Abuse

A jury has ordered Catholic Charities to pay at least $960,000 to the estate of a 4-year-old boy whose body was found buried in the backyard of his Cleveland home while his mother was enrolled in social services from the corporation. The jury found that Catholic Charities was negligent in hiring and supervising its employees, a negligence that partially caused Jordan Rodriguez’s death in 2017. The jury assigned the majority of the blame to the boy’s mother, Larissa Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and is serving a 28-year prison sentence. Other agencies involved in the family’s life were also found to be partially responsible, including Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, MetroHealth, and Larissa Rodriguez’s boyfriend, Christopher. The case will resume on April 30 for a hearing to determine if Catholic Charities is liable to pay punitive damages.

The Campbell Police Department has released its latest crime report, which includes incidents of petty theft, corporal injury, DUI, child abuse, and other offenses. A detailed summary of each incident is provided below.

A mother, Janet Garcia, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of her 4-year-old son, Ariel. Ariel was found stabbed multiple times near a military base after being reported missing on March 27. Garcia initially claimed her son had an accident, but inconsistencies in her statements and blood stains in her apartment led to her arrest. Garcia reportedly struggled with substance abuse and had been evasive about her whereabouts and her son’s. The investigation also revealed that Garcia’s cellphone data tracked her movements near the location where Ariel’s body was found.