House Bill 43 entitled “Jordan’s Law” is named after Jordan Belliveau, Jr., who was murdered by his mother in September 2018. The law aims to train more people to recognize the signs of child head trauma and better inform communication between law enforcement and child welfare agencies.
Jordan’s family’s first involvement with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) was October 2016 due to concerns about gang violence in the home. He was placed in foster care and adjudicated dependent in November 2016 after his mother couldn’t find alternative housing. Due to lack of evidence provided to the court by the case management organization, Jordan was reunified with his mother and father.
In July 2018, after reunification and while still under judicial supervision, Jordan’s father was arrested for domestic violence against Jordan’s mother, but this incident was not reported to the court immediately. When reported weeks later, the investigation found Jordan was not in immediate current danger and did not prompt an emergency change in placement. On August 31, 2018, a child welfare professional warned Jordan’s parents about their non-compliance and the risk of losing custody. Less than 24 hours later, Jordan was reported missing by his mother, and four days later, law enforcement found his body and arrested his mother with aggravated child abuse and first-degree murder after she admitted to killing Jordan.
HB 43 Established:
