A 2-year-old boy placed with relatives by Santa Clara County\u2019s child welfare agency died after suffering sexual abuse, raising renewed questions about an agency already under state oversight and prompting calls for an independent investigation.<\/p>\n
The toddler\u2019s 17-year-old cousin appeared in juvenile court Monday facing six counts of sexual assault on a child. Prosecutors say they are waiting for more information from the investigation about the cause of death before considering a murder charge.<\/p>\n
The toddler named Jackson died April 9.<\/p>\n
In an email to staff late Monday night, Wendy Kinnear-Rausch, the director of the county\u2019s Department of Family and Children\u2019s Services, said the child had been \u201crecently placed\u201d with the mother of the 17-year-old and that the boy had died \u201cdue to abuse and neglect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson\u2019s death comes as the state Department of Social Services was wrapping up 18 months of oversight of the county\u2019s child welfare agency, and requiring major reforms in the aftermath of at least two previous child deaths.<\/p>\n
County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas and Steve Baron, a member of the county\u2019s Child Abuse Prevention Council, called on the state\u2019s Department of Social Services to again investigate, this time to determine whether any actions by the county may have led to Jackson\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m heartbroken for this child and horrified by the deliberate actions and failures to act that are directly responsible for this murder and the abuse that came before it,\u201d Arenas said Monday in a statement. \u201cI cannot overstate my concern both for the details of this case and for the system failures that all had to occur for this child to be abandoned to this fate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kinnear-Rausch, in her email obtained Tuesday by the Mercury News, said her agency was conducting an internal review \u201cto make sure we understand this child\u2019s experience and all steps we can take to better ensure children in our community are safe.\u201d She said she had requested the state conduct its own investigation as well.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t explain what happened to the boy\u2019s parents, why the child was placed with these relatives and whether they were properly vetted.<\/p>\n
In a statement Monday, County Executive James Williams called the child\u2019s death a \u201chorrific tragedy\u201d and that keeping children safe is the agency\u2019s \u201cessential priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to getting to the bottom of what happened and holding people accountable, where appropriate,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThat process has already begun, and we are doing everything we can to quickly understand all the facts and to take all appropriate actions. We are sending our deepest condolences to the family for their loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson\u2019s death comes after two children in the agency\u2019s care perished. In 2023, 3-month-old Phoenix Castro<\/a> died of a fentanyl overdose when she was sent home with her drug abusing father over objections from social workers. And in 2024, 7-year-old Jordan Walker was stabbed to death, allegedly by an uncle, after he was placed with his grandmother despite objections from relatives who feared he wouldn\u2019t be safe there. The boy\u2019s maternal grandfather is suing the county<\/a>.<\/p>\n