On Monday, April 20, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged a 17-year-old with taking advantage of and ending the life of his 2-year-old foster brother, Jaxon, who was also his cousin.
Jaxon’s body was found unresponsive in his crib on April 5. He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries four days later.
Highlights
- A California teenager has been accused of taking advantage of and taking the life of his 2-year-old cousin.
- The child’s grandmother had reported a suspicious red mark around his neck more than a week before the tragedy.
- The foster caregiver had a prior child endangerment conviction, raising questions about how the placement was approved.
The county’s medical examiner, Dr. Michelle Jorden, has yet to release a cause of passing.
“I can’t imagine what this sweet little baby went through,” Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada, a friend of Jaxon’s family, said.
The accused has turned 18 since he committed the crime, and prosecutors are seeking to move the case to adult court
Image credits: KRON 4
According to The Mercury News, the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children's Services was involved with Jaxon from the time he was born nearly two months prematurely.
The baby was born with signs of fetal alcohol syndrome — a mix of physical, cognitive, and behavioral issues caused by liquor exposure in the womb.
Image credits: KRON 4
He was allowed to go home with his father, Albert Juarez, and mother, Brianna Burton, after his grandmother, Elva, promised she would never leave him alone with either one of them.
When a social worker found out Elva had failed to keep her word, as she was busy running errands, the county began making plans to remove him.
When the father lost his temper during a meeting to discuss Jaxon’s future, it caused the authorities to take him away immediately. His mother passed away a week later from liver and kidney failure.
After considering several foster home options, the county placed Jaxon in the care of his accused cousin in San Jose this February.
Image credits: KRON 4
On Monday, Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen, while announcing the charges against the teen, shared that Jaxon was harmed using “a hair tie,” but didn’t elaborate.
Jaxon’s grandmother said that she alerted a social worker about a suspicious red line around his neck more than a week before the tragedy.
Image credits: Facebook / Riley Wallace
The social worker, per her account, took a picture of the mark.
Rosen said he is investigating who, besides the teenager, may be criminally responsible for Jaxon’s demise, potentially including employees of the Department of Family and Children’s Services.
Jeff Rosen also pointed out that Jaxon’s passing isn’t an isolated case, with other children also losing their lives while in the department’s care
Image credits: Facebook / Riley Wallace
“This is the third child in the last couple of years under the care and custody of the Department of Family and Children’s Services who has been m**dered,” Rosen said.
“Enough. Change needs to come, and it needs to come fast,” he added.
Image credits: KRON 4
Three-month-old Phoenix lost her life to a fentanyl ove**ose caused by her father in San Jose in May 2023.
Before the child’s demise, a social worker had determined that the father was incapable of providing proper care.
However, the department reportedly overlooked this warning and failed to protect the baby.
Seven-year-old Jordan Walker was stabbed by an uncle in August of the same year after the county placed him with his grandmother, despite concerns from relatives that he would be in danger there.
“We all should be asking questions of county officials at the highest level — why are horrible and tragic crimes happening to children in the care and custody of the department over and over and over again,” Rosen remarked on Monday.
Jaxon’s foster mother had previously been convicted of child endangerment
Image credits: KRON 4
According to The Mercury News, the unidentified woman chosen to look after Jaxon drove drunk with her 1-year-old daughter in the back seat of her car in 2014.
She was reprimanded for the same, and according to child welfare advocates, the record should have disqualified her as a foster parent prospect.
Image credits: Facebook/Evangeline Estrada
The county declined to answer questions as to why she was trusted to care for Jaxon. However, they said they are conducting a “comprehensive investigation” of the boy’s demise.
Image credits: Facebook / Riley Wallace
“We are working urgently to understand exactly what happened, and we remain committed to publicly sharing the results of our investigation and the independent investigation being conducted by the state when they are available, and to the extent permitted by law,” the county noted.
The accused in the case is scheduled to be back in court on May 21.
"Unspeakable evilness," a netizen said about Jaxon's case
