A community in Florida gathered this weekend to pay an emotional tribute to 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau, who authorities say was killed by his mother in a continuing saga that's grabbed the national spotlight. A candlelight vigil was held at Saturday in Largo for family, friends, and people who may not have even known Jordan to mourn the terrible loss to the community. Per WFTS, attendees lit candles and released balloons in Jordan's memory not far from where his body was discovered on Tuesday. “There's so many people in this world that can’t have children and then these people that do have children don’t take care of them…kill them you know," mourner Thelma Gonzalez said. "It’s cruel and she needs to be put away for a very long time." Belliveau’s father was among those at the memorial service and was at a point surrounded by people in a circle of prayer. Earlier Saturday, others gathered about a mile away for a morning prayer. The outpouring of grief comes at the tail end of a dramatic chain of events that began with what police say was a falsely reported Amber alert and ended with the arrest of Jordan's mother on a charge of first degree murder. Police said 21-year-old Charisse Stinson told them a man she did not know named Antwan attacked her after she and her son got into his car. The blow knocked out Stinson and when she woke, she was alone, she claimed. Stinson has since allegedly admitted to striking Jordan “in a moment of frustration,” which “in turn, caused the back of his head to strike an interior wall of her home,” authorities said. Her alleged admission came after days of searching for her son, during which Stinson "continued to mislead the investigation," police said. Stinson had previously lost custody of Jordan, who was reportedly in foster care for about a year. The foster parents had hoped to adopt the toddler before a judge returned him to Stinson's custody. In addition to a murder charge, Stinson faces felony counts of child abuse and misleading police. RELATED STORIES<doc-sep>Sam and Juliet Warren say the system failed Jordan Belliveau. "I'm Sam Warren. This is my wife, Juliet." And for a majority of 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau's life, that's who he knew as mom and dad. Jordan was found dead in a wooded area in Largo on Tuesday. His biological mother is accused of killing him. “We loved Jordan deeply and we are devastated by his loss,” says Sam and Juliet Warren, Jordan’s foster parents. They shared family photos with us so the world would know the boy they called Mr. Chuckles. “He learned to roll over in our house,'’ Sam Warren said. “I remember my mom teaching him how to crawl. He learned how to walk and talk in our family. He flourished and grew in a community that loved him deeply as well.” Photos: Jordan Belliveau with his foster family 1/6 2/6 3/6 4/6 5/6 6/6 1 / 6 They wanted Jordan as their own. But on May 31, he was reunited with his birth mom. "We are devastated by his loss,” Sam said. “If not for a court order, he would still be safe in our home. "We hope Jordan’s loss will lead to change that is needed to protect other endangered children in the system." WATCH: Foster family says the system failed Jordan Belliveau They say the system failed Jordan. They were promised Jordan would be safe when returned to his mom's home. “Ultimately, we have hope that our painful loss will result in a fundamental re-examination of the entire system. How foster care works, of the reunification process, Jordan deserves that and other children in the system deserve that.” System failure is what Jordan's paternal family blames as well. "They give them back to the people who hurt them," said grandmother Jessica Belliveau. She says welfare workers were scheduled to stop by her home Wednesday to consider whether Jordan could live with her. "My home study to bring Jordan to my house was supposed to be done today," Belliveau said. When asked her why, Belliveau said it was because Jordan’s mom Charisse Stinson, was in the process of being evicted and she was unemployed. Belliveau said Stinson found out about the study Friday of last week, a day before she reported him missing. Senator Darryl Rouson spoke with 10News responding to the foster parents’ allegation and agrees a full review needs to be done. “Maybe we need to take a look more closely at these facts and determine whether or not we did something wrong and determine if we fell short,” Rouson said. "Obviously, we did." While blame is being cast on the Department of Children and Family Services, Largo police released a statement, saying DCF stated it was not one of their workers who checked on Jordan and his mom before he died. They say it was a caseworker with an agency called Directions for Living. “The Department of Children and Families was inadvertently named in our press conference. A caseworker at the Stinson apartment on Friday, August 31, was from Directions for Living.” In Pinellas County, child welfare is overseen by the sheriff’s office. While Jordan’s case was subcontracted to Directions For Living, it is contracted by Eckerd Connect Community, which is under the umbrella of DCF. 10News spoke to a DCF representative who said any documents entered by Directions For Living in the central reporting system would be reviewed by them. ►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.<doc-sep>LARGO, Fla. -- The mother of a missing toddler who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Monday is now accused of his murder.Charisse Stinson was arrested Tuesday on charges of first degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son, Largo Police Chief Jeff Undestad said.Stinson had told police a man knocked her unconscious before taking her son, Jordan Belliveau, in Largo, Florida on Saturday.Belliveau's body was found in a wooded area of Largo on Tuesday.According to Largo police, Stinson said she and her son were out walking at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday when they were offered a ride in a white Toyota Camry by a man named Antwan.Stinson said that once they were in the vehicle she was struck in the face and lost consciousness, police said. She said she woke up alone in a wooded area at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.Police issued an Amber Alert Monday and began searching for the boy and the man, who was described as about 25 years old, with dreadlocks and gold teeth.The Amber Alert was canceled Tuesday after the young boy's body was found.Jail house records don't list an attorney for Stinson and it's unclear when she will first appear in court.<doc-sep>
Jordan Belliveau was believed to have been kidnapped by a stranger 5 days ago. A 2-year-old boy who went missing in Florida has been found dead, authorities said. The body of Jordan Belliveau was found in a wooded area, five days after he was believed to have been kidnapped by a stranger who gave a lift to him and his mother as they were walking at night in the city of Largo, police said. "THE AMBER Alert for Jordan Belliveau has been canceled. Sadly, the child has been found deceased," the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said in a tweet. Jordan's mother, Charisse Stinson, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, ABC Affiliate station WFTS reported. Police have not revealed any information about how the boy was killed or what evidence led them to arrest Stinson. For nearly a week, multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Largo Police Department and the FDLE dragged bodies of water, reviewed surveillance footage, deployed canine search teams and interviewed family in the hunt for the child. The boy's 21-year-old mother said that on Saturday night, after she and Jordan entered the car of the man who was giving them a lift, she had an altercation with the man and he struck her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness, police said. When she woke up early Sunday morning in a wooded area in Largo Central Park, she said she could not locate her son. Jordan was last seen in the car with the unknown man, who the mother said identified himself as "Antwan," officials stated. Police later released a sketch of the man. The mother had told police she did not know the driver, but she entered his car because she felt her son was too heavy to carry all the way home, police said. Police had also spoken to the father of the child, who they said was cooperating with authorities. Police on Monday said they had recovered "bloody items" from the apartment where the mother lived with Jordan, although they did not say it was in any way connected to the boy's disappearance.