Ohio Mom Allegedly Led Police to Remains of 5-Year-Old Son in Yard
The mother of a missing 5-year-old boy whose body is believed to have been found in his backyard led investigators to the body, according to multiple reports.
Jordan Rodriguez was reported missing on Monday when a concerned relative called police, according to a Cleveland Police Department field report obtained by PEOPLE.
The child’s body was found on the second day of a search of his mother’s backyard conducted by Cleveland police and federal investigators. The medical examiner has not confirmed the body’s identity but police officials believe it belongs to Jordan, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia tells PEOPLE.
On Thursday, the boy’s mother, Larissa Rodriguez, 34, was charged with murder in the child’s presumed death, Ciaccia says. An additional charge of felonious assault will be presented to the grand jury, Ciaccia tells PEOPLE.
Rodriguez was originally arrested on Monday for suspicion of murder after policed began investigating Jordan’s disappearance, according to police documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Jordan’s stepfather, Christopher Rodriguez, is currently serving a six-month sentence in jail for failing to pay child support. He is not the child’s biological father.
Cleveland police began to investigate Jordan’s disappearance after receiving a phone call from Christopher Rodriguez’s brother, alleging that Larissa and another person had buried Jordan in the backyard after finding him unresponsive, according to the police documents.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
When questioned by police, Larissa Rodriguez said that her son went to visit his biological father in Houston, the documents state. She told police that Jordan’s aunt picked him up on Dec. 2, but she was unable to provide contact information for both Jordan’s father and aunt.
Local social workers said they are familiar with Larissa Rodriguez, who has nine children and is currently pregnant, according to WKBN-27.
According to Cuyahoga County Jobs and Family Services, two of Rodriguez’s eldest children were removed from her custody, county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan told Cleveland.com.
Larissa Rodriguez told police she receives social security for Jordan, who has a mental disability and is unable to speak, according to the police documents.
The body discovered by police on Tuesday allegedly appeared to have multiple signs of abuse, including broken ribs, court documents obtained by Cleveland.com state.
• For more compelling True Crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard
Four other children of Larissa Rodriquez’s were living with her at the time of her arrest, while two others live with their father, the outlet reports.
The cause of death and identification of the body is currently pending, a Cayuhoga Medical Examiner’s official tells PEOPLE.
