CLEVELAND — A Cleveland mother led investigators to a child’s body buried in the backyard of her home Tuesday, and the remains are believed to be her missing, disabled son, according to court documents obtained by Cleveland.com. The child’s body reportedly showed multiple signs of abuse, including broken ribs, the website reports.
Larissa Maria Rodriguez, 34, has been taken into custody and will be charged with murder and felonious assault on Thursday, according to Cleveland Police Public Information Officer Jennifer Ciaccia. The remains have not been positively identified, but investigators believe they are Rodriguez’s missing 5-year-old son Jordan, according to the documents, which reportedly present probable cause to request that police be allowed to hold Rodriguez pending formal charges.
Larissa Rodriguez’s missing 5-year-old son, Jordan
WOIO
Police were first tipped off Monday when they received a 911 call from the brother of Rodriguez’s boyfriend, reports CBS affiliate WOIO. The caller, who lives in Pakistan, said the man called him and said he came home to find the child dead several months ago.
“He said, when I came home, the kid was already dead,” the caller told a dispatcher, according to a recording of the call obtained by the station.
The brother told 911 the boyfriend cried as he said he helped Rodriguez bury the body.
“He told me that something happened with one of the kids and they didn’t call the cops. Basically him and his girlfriend buried the kid in the backyard,” the caller said.
Investigators first responded to Rodriguez’ Cleveland home Monday, but didn’t uncover anything. FBI and medical examiner investigators continued the search Tuesday and dug for about three hours before finding the remains.
The medical examiner will identify the body and determine a cause of death following a Wednesday autopsy.
History of child welfare investigations
Rodriguez, a mother of nine, has a long history with local child welfare officials. Social workers have opened 13 neglect or abuse investigations on the woman since 1999, a Cuyahoga County spokeswoman told Cleveland.com. The latest was in December 2016, and that case was closed in February, the website reports.
Officials removed four children from the home Monday night, and the children were placed in emergency custody in foster care. Those four range in age from 16 months to 12 years, county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said.
The home was found in “deplorable and unsanitary condition,” according to documents filed by the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and obtained by WOIO.
The home was dirty, with an infestation of cockroaches and rats, and one child was seen eating a sandwich that contained cockroaches, the document said.
The documents say the mother was arrested in connection “with the death of a child who is believed to be the sibling of these children.”
Madigan said Wednesday that Rodriguez lost custody of her two oldest children many years ago, but Madigan would not reveal why.
“Our focus is on the safety of the children,” Madigan said.
In an emotional statement to reporters, Rodriguez’s sister Ana Rodriguez claimed the woman abused the boy. Ana Rodriguez said she notified child welfare officials numerous times and that they would respond but then close out the cases.
“That boy was sick, that boy was special needs, premature, he needed help, and all they did was [expletive] beat on that little boy,” Ana Rodriguez said.
Larissa Rodriguez told police she has nine children and five live with her. She allegedly said Jordan, who has special needs and is unable to speak, left with his aunt on Dec. 2 to visit his father in Texas.
According to a police report obtained by WOIO, Rodriguez said she did not know the phone number or address for the father or the aunt.
Rodriguez’s boyfriend is reportedly in jail for failing to pay child support, the station reports. He has since been transferred to a maximum security cell, according to WOIO.
Rodriguez couldn’t be reached for comment while in custody, and it was unclear whether she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
