Ten county employees have been placed on administrative leave, county executive James Williams announced, while investigators work to find who within the child welfare system failed to protect Jaxon. DFCS\u2019 policies and practices are also being heavily reviewed.<\/p>\n
![\"Jaxon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8ff782ffb2ad5dc360ac5b6d608b31a8.jpeg\"\/)
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Jaxon is seen in a family photo.<\/p>\n
Every interaction involving Jaxon during his time in foster case will be reviewed by investigators, Williams said. \u201cDepending on the findings of our investigation, staff may face disciplinary action up to and including termination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During Thursday\u2019s Children, Seniors, and Families Committee meeting, supervisors expressed anger that a tragedy like the \u201cBaby Jaxon\u201d case could happen even after DFCS was placed under state-oversight in response to the 2023\u00a0death of three-month-old Phoenix Castro.<\/p>\n
County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas asked child welfare officials a grim question that was answered by silence.<\/p>\n
Arenas asked, \u201cI am doubting the leadership that is currently in place \u2026 you all tell me, how many children could die under your leadership and you still have a job? You all seem to think you are going to give your sorrow to the families. But where is your responsibility and your accountability? These are lives. These are children\u2019s lives. Your work so far has kept children in places where children continue to be abused. I don\u2019t mince words. If you think you can continue to have a job, regardless\u00a0of the deaths that fall at your feet, then maybe the question is whether this is the right county for you to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A memorial for Jaxon is seen outside Juvenile Hall in San Jose on April 21, 2026. (KRON4 Photo)<\/p>\n
DFCS operates a 24\/7 child abuse reporting center that receives more than 25,000 call a year. The agency is responsible for protecting children from abuse and neglect, and supporting families through intervention services.<\/p>\n
Jaxon\u2019s mother died last summer, family members said. In February, DFCS placed Jaxon in a foster home on Otono Court to live with the teenager and the teen\u2019s mother. The teen\u2019s mother is a cousin of Jaxon\u2019s father, family members said.<\/p>\n
Jaxon\u2019s foster mother has a \u201cconcerning criminal history,\u201d and she did not cooperate with police following the toddler\u2019s death, according to the San Jose Police Department.<\/p>\n
Arenas said the Jaxon case exposed the agency\u2019s overzealous need to reunite families. \u201cWhen it comes to child welfare systems in this county, the pendulum swung too far. We were prioritizing family preservation over child safety,\u201d she told reporters at a news conference.<\/p>\n
![\"Jaxon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/71b84b777a715b4c6fc690b1cf4e7129.jpeg\"\/)
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Jaxon plays with a pumpkin. (Family photo)<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said Jaxon had been repeatedly assaulted, sexually and physically, since he was placed in the foster home. When police officers found Jaxon, his body was covered in \u201csuspicious traumatic injuries,\u201d a SJPD spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
In 2023, county leaders\u00a0pledged to fix its \u201cbroken\u201d system\u00a0after the death of Phoenix Castro<\/a>, an infant who was poisoned by fentanyl while living with drug-addicted parents in San Jose. She was still too young to know how to crawl. That same year, a 6-year-old San Jose boy,\u00a0Jordan Cam\u00a0Walker<\/a>, was stabbed to death at home and his uncle was charged with murder.<\/p>\n \u201c(Jaxon) is the third child in the last couple of years under the care and custody of the Department of Family and Children\u2019s Services who has been murdered. Enough. Enough. Change needs to come,\u201d District Attorney Jeff Rosen said at a news conference earlier this week.<\/p>\n Prosecutors charged Jaxon\u2019s foster brother with murder and rape. He recently turned 18, and Rosen is fighting to transfer the case from juvenile court to adult court. A judge will decide this summer whether the teen will stand trial as an adult, or remain in the juvenile court system.<\/p>\n KRON4 is not naming the murder suspect because he was a juvenile when the alleged crimes occurred. His mother was arrested and released from jail without charges.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas speaks to reporters on April 23, 2026. (KRON4)<\/p>\n Supervisor Arenas asked leaders at Thursday\u2019s meeting to think about their own children when they were 2-years-old. \u201cEvery time you come home, you are the best thing that happened to them, and they are endlessly happy to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Santa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/b4768cf2f13e8a3f8b5e239b6593eddf.jpeg\"\/)
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