So HORRIFIC Judge CRIES at Sentencing | The HORRIFYING Case of Jordan Rodriguez

Three Months of Deceit and Lissa’s Dark Past

Every morning for 3 months, Lissa Rodriguez woke up to a new day, opening the blinds, looking out to see the sun had risen again, going about her morning routine, getting dressed, waking up her children, and going about her day with it bringing second chances—a new start as every new day does for all of us. Every evening for 3 months, Lissa would put her children to bed, make her way to her bedroom, close the blinds, turn off the light, and crawl into bed herself, eventually drifting off to sleep. I wonder what she dreamt about those 3 months. I wonder if she dreamt about Jordan.

Who is Jordan, you ask? Jordan is Lissa’s 5-year-old son. You see, Jordan’s broken and starved little body was buried in Lissa’s backyard, and Lissa knew it because she helped put him there.

Lissa Rodriguez’s life has been marked by upheaval and turmoil. Lissa, along with her siblings, were victims of generational trauma and violence. They endured horrific instability, which ultimately led to them being separated into the foster care system. At some point, Lissa was adopted, but being adopted did not mean rainbows and butterflies for her. In fact, she lodged her own complaints against her adoptive parents in 1998, which were ultimately dismissed. Lissa acted out repeatedly, ran away, and at the age of 14, she became pregnant. She went through with the pregnancy and gave birth to her first of many children, a son named Angel Alvarez.

Fast forward to 2007, her adoptive mother, Emma Roos, was brutally stabbed to death by her boyfriend. According to Lissa’s sister Anna, their adoptive mother struggled with addiction and her boyfriend had a violent past, apparently killing a previous girlfriend. Emma, who had a total of 12 children, dated this guy anyway, knowing of his past, which caught up with her when he murdered her as she was leaving a hair salon. He stabbed her numerous times. She ended up staggering into a nearby Walgreens begging for help, but died 4 hours later at the hospital.

As was her childhood, Lissa’s adult life was anything but stable. She would be in and out of relationships, giving birth almost every year, ending up with a total of 10 children, almost all of them having different fathers. 18 complaints of child neglect or abuse were reported against her dating back to 1999, right after she gave birth to her first son, Angel. 13 of those complaints led to formal investigations. She has been connected to incidents of assault, domestic violence, and a missing person’s case. Lissa was an absolute train wreck, living in disgust and squalor. Her homes were filthy, loaded with rodents, and infested with bugs. How she had custody of any of her children is unbelievable, but as I came to find out, Lissa was scheming with a corrupt social worker. That’s why she still had some of her children. That scheming would lead to one of the most horrific child murders in Ohio history and would blow the lid off the filth and disgust going on behind the walls of this horror house on West 80th Street in Cleveland.

Sweet Jordan: A Life in Silence

Jordan Rodriguez was born November 5th, 2012, in Cleveland, Ohio to Lissa Rodriguez. Not much is known about his father; he apparently had no involvement in Jordan’s life. Jordan was born 26 weeks premature and missing a kidney, but this little guy was a fighter, and against the odds, he was able to leave the hospital. It was later found Jordan was mute; he could not speak, he could not cry. The thought of what he went through in silence is almost too much for me. Little Jordan wanted to live. He deserved to. Unfortunately, he was born into absolute chaos and horrific living conditions, devoid of love and safety.

In all of my videos, I think it’s important to take a minute and pay tribute to the littlest victims. I’m usually able to find photos and sometimes videos of the child where I try to bring them to life and honor them. For precious Jordan, I could only find three photos. It brings tears to my eyes. In today’s society with so much technology, and the fact that Lissa had a Facebook page, I wasn’t able to find any more photos of Jordan. But he is important to me, just as any other victim I cover, so I decided to write him this poem and honor him that way:

Sweet Jordan, you lived your life in silence, never able to cry.

I can’t imagine the terror and sorrow, I just don’t understand why.

I wish I could have saved you, I wish you could have felt love.

But I know you’re free now, sweet boy, in the beautiful skies above.

Your time here was horrific, you did not have a voice.

So I want to tell your story since you were never given the choice.

We hear you, Jordan, will be your voice, and let them not forget.

You mattered, deserved better, and justice you will get. [Music]

Enter Christopher Rodriguez: The Abuser

Christopher Rodriguez was another one of Lissa’s many live-in boyfriends. Although they have the same last name, they were not married. There is not a lot of information available on Christopher, but from what I could find, he was a loser without a job, a huge temper, and a deadbeat dad. He had other children and was ordered to pay child support but wasn’t supporting his children in any way. But this was a knight in shining armor to Lissa. She thought it was a great idea to invite this dirt bag into her home and around her children.

Lissa’s children were already suffering living with her as their mother, then she decides things must not be bad enough: “Why don’t I bring in Satan himself?” It’s not clear how long Christopher was living with Lissa and her children, but during that time he was abusive to her and her children. Like we see in so many cases with abuse, there was one child that was singled out, one child that got the worst of it. That child was little Jordan. Jordan, who fought so hard as a baby to live. Jordan, who had no voice, one kidney, and with special needs. That is who this coward of a man, a real tough guy, thought he would take his wrath out on.

Lissa went right along with it. She never protected Jordan; she wasn’t doing anything to stop it. Prior to Christopher coming into the picture, family members state Jordan at least looked healthy. I’m sure living with Lissa he was suffering mentally and emotionally, but prior to Christopher’s arrival, he at least physically looked well. Christopher and Lissa starved Jordan, locked him in the closet. Christopher would beat Jordan and shove a sock in his mouth. This horrific treatment would go on and on until Jordan’s little body could not take it any longer, and he passed away. Christopher and Lissa put mothballs in his mouth, wrapped a diaper around his head, shoved his broken body in bags, and buried him in the backyard like a dog buries a bone.

Christopher would end up getting arrested, not for what happened to Jordan, but for not paying child support. He ended up in jail, but him and Lissa kept their romance going, and Lissa would make sure he had money and care packages while he was in prison. Yep, you heard that right. While precious Jordan lay decomposing in her backyard, she was preparing care packages for her precious Christopher.

The Jailhouse Calls

Automated Voice: Western Union… has some money. Calls are subject to recording and may be monitored. You may start your conversation now.

Lissa: Hello, I love you. I got an idea. I don’t know if it’ll work though, um, does Kara got a debit card or a credit card or anything?

Christopher: I think so, she did it before.

Lissa: Cuz I was wondering if you could call her and see if you Western Union her some money, you know what I mean, and then her put the money on my books. If they got your credit card number already, it’ll be her credit card number, you know what I mean? So it’s not that, it’s the account number.

Christopher: What you mean? Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. But if you wire her the number, I mean wire her the money and she uses her own card and account number, do you think it’ll work? But she’ll be using the same phone number as mine, and which mine is the same phone number on my account. No, no, no, no, what I’m saying babe, remember how you put the money on my books and I bought the $5 phone cards? That’s what I’m saying. If you have her put the money on my account using her credit card or debit card, then all I got to do is go to the kiosk machine and buy the $5 phone times and it’ll be 21 cents a minute for us, you see? That’s… I don’t know, I could see cuz I was just thinking about that while I was, you know, connecting us. I was like, wait a minute, they got Lissa’s account number and her phone number so they’re going to block it, you know? But if I… if you have Kara put the money on my account with her account number, then I’ll be able to go buy the phone time from the kiosk and it’ll be a lot… truth, we’ll have a lot more money to talk to each other.

Lissa: I can see what she says. Um, you know, I saw you right when you got into the court…

Automated Voice: Hello, this is a free call from “I love you my sexy soulmate,” an inmate at Medina County Jail. This call is subject to recording and monitoring. To accept this free call, press one. To refuse this free call, press two. Thank you for using Securus. You may start the conversation now.

Christopher: Beautiful, just want to tell you I love you gorgeous. I love you. You okay? Why would you do that when you see I’m clean? You okay? Oh no, Bubba don’t want to help do nothing. Well, tell him he ain’t going to Kara’s. That’s exactly why going nowhere. Tell him exactly what I just said because me and Mara was just telling him before you call, and we said wait till Dad call and next you know, he… you go call him. Tell him I said get up if he wants to go to Kara’s and clean now. To Kara’s, you better get up and clean! T she’s being lazy like normal, not doing nothing. Mara making some ramen noodles for everybody. I took down the curtains that are in the playroom and I, you know, the shower, the black and white shower curtain thingy? Yeah, put it… I put that one towards the outside of the big window, I put that one there. And then I put some other flower one that I had found in the closet upstairs on the side window. Okay, you get the crack ones out of there and I’m throwing those away.

Lissa: Okay, but I was wiping down the walls and stuff.

Christopher: I just wanted to go and tell you I love you and get ready to lock us down till 1:00. And uh, I’ll chirp you because I’m trying to save the rest of this for later tonight so I can talk to you. I got $5 left on the kiosk, you know what I mean? I at least want to save like two bucks for tomorrow morning to talk to you too. Okay? I just wanted to hear my wife’s voice and let you know like I’m always thinking about you guys. I miss you. I can’t wait till you get your letter either tomorrow or Tuesday so you can see the tattoo I’m gonna get, and that’s going right over my heart. Oh yeah, M. I told you I’m covering everything up. My wife and my kids is going to be the only thing on my body. Yeah, right here. But the one that’s on my heart right now, that’s getting covered up by the one that I just sent you. Okay? I love you my gorgeous soulmate.

Lissa: I love you too. Thank you for everything.

Christopher: Don’t thank me, that’s part of being… I love you, and you ain’t never got to worry about me going anywhere, cheating on you, wanting anybody else, like you’re… you’re all I want beautiful. I promise you, you hear me? You feel the same way?

Lissa: Yes I do. I know I love you.

Christopher: Love you. Tell the kids they ain’t listening, tell them I’m hearing everything. So when I get home they better not be crying for his ass whooping.

Lissa: Why are you spraying bleach, dumbass? Who was it? Right, you’re not supposed to touch the damn bleach! Move, I’m about to show you… leave you alone! Who said that out of him right now? I just did. Talking about “leave you alone.”

Christopher: Wait till I get home. I swear to God that little boy will be a whole different little kid when I get home, watch.

Lissa: Leave her alone. I don’t want you next to T, you leave her alone.

Christopher: Him for me right now. I need my heavy hand.

Lissa: Dad say he needed heavy hand. Mara smack boo-boo right? He tell both of us when… when we disappoint… leave me alone! Yeah, we’ll see, we’ll see. Turn… smack him right in the mouth. He said don’t hit me. Tell her I said smack him right in the mouth hard as right now. I wonder why, cuz you said oh where is M? She went to the bathroom, oh I think she went upstairs. I love you.

Christopher: Good boy, dad said good boy. That’s what you supposed to do now. Tell him go punch him right now for screaming right now. Every time boo-boo screams I want him to punch him. Every time boo-boo screams I want Bubba to knock him out. Yeah, said every time boo-boo scream like that he wants you to knock him out this time. Tell Bubba it’s time for him to show boo-boo he’s big brother.

The Tip from Pakistan

At some point, some of Lissa’s family started asking questions about Jordan’s whereabouts. Lissa would say he was with an aunt or Jordan’s father in Texas. What blew this case wide open is a phone call from Pakistan of all places.

Caller: Hi man, um, I’m calling from overseas, but I got… it’s kind of a… is a… I guess I need to talk to like a detective or somebody or I don’t know if you can. Basically, it’s kind of messed up, the whole situation, but my brother told me something and I just can’t sleep at night as far as, you know, what it… what… what… I don’t, I don’t know. I, I just kind of feel like I, I need to… something for…

Operator: Concerning your brother?

Caller: Yeah, just… I know, I know it sounds crazy. No, what is… where… he um, he lives off of Detroit. I don’t know his direct address. Um, basically, um, he told me that something happened with one of the kids and um, they didn’t call the cops and basically, he buried him, and his girlfriend buried a kid in the backyard. Now mind you, my brother is known to lie a lot, so I kind of like blew it off and I was like, hey man, true, it’s not his kid, it’s one of her kids. He… what he told me was he came home, um, his girlfriend called him, he rushed home, and then like, I think the little boy was like four or five. Now mind you, I’ve only seen these kids like one time, so I couldn’t tell you who they are, what it is about. But he told me that um, that uh, the boy was unresponsive and I was like okay. He’s like, “Well this kid had a, you know, a lot of problems, like he had like one lung and one kidney.” And I, I don’t even know if that part is true because I don’t know these kids, because he’s only been with this girl maybe two years and I’ve been like overseas the whole time. So I only really met her like maybe once or twice in my life.

Operator: What is your brother’s address?

Caller: That’s the thing, I don’t know his address. I can give you his name though, it’s Christopher Rodriguez and I think you can pull it up that way.

Operator: C… Christopher with a K or C?

Caller: Oh, with a C. See, does any story just sound crazy though? It sounds absolutely insane right?

Operator: Can you spell Rodriguez?

Caller: It’s a common spelling, r-o-d-r-i-g-u-e-z.

Operator: Okay, you don’t… what is… do you know his date of birth?

Caller: Yeah, it’s 11/28… no, no, I’m sorry, it’s not 11/2. I’m about to give you my birthday. His… it should be 8/1/81, but sometimes it’s 8/12/81. So it’s one of the two because basically I know it is 8/12, but I know his birth certificate at one point said 8/11. So I don’t know which one.

Operator: Okay, do you know… goes… do you know his girlfriend’s name?

Caller: Yeah, his girlfriend’s name is Lissa Rodriguez. They’re not married, she just has the last name as… and her name is L-A-R… I think, I think it’s L-A-R-R-I-S-I-S-S-A or it’s L-A-R-I-S-S-A. Now mind you right now, he’s actually locked up I think in Medina County for child support. So he’s already, he’s already um… now mind you, I don’t even know if this is true. I really don’t. I just know he told me, I couldn’t sleep, and I was just like, “Yo, you need to… you call to happen…” Uh, he didn’t… he didn’t really give me an exact time frame. He just made it seem like it was like months ago. And that’s why I was like… and that’s why I was really mad cuz I was like, I thought he kind of told me like, you know, within a day or so. When I was like, “Wait, you mean this is a month ago?” And he was like, “Yeah man.” I was like, I was like, “Why would… what on Earth would make you not call the cops or… or call…”

Operator: He tell… that… when was it that he told you that? When did he tell you that?

Caller: Um, he told me right before he went in jail. I don’t know if that was a couple weeks ago, whatever it was whenever he got locked up there when he told me. But I didn’t… mind you, I, I, I didn’t really believe him. I was like, there’s no way this is true. And then he got locked up the next day, so I could never really confirm whether or not what he told me was either a lie or it was true. But I don’t know, I just kind of felt like it needs at least to be looked into because I don’t, I don’t, I really don’t feel he’s at fault. And maybe I’m being biased because that’s my brother, because what kind of mother would bury her kid in the backyard? I don’t know what kind of mother would do that. I don’t want anybody to possibly turn them in. I mean things like that happened before.

Operator: I really, really do appreciate your call and you standing up for what, what’s…

Caller: Oh man, it’s, it just… cuz you know it just, it’s just a sad situation because I’m like, I know, and he was crying when he told me and that’s what made me kind of believe the sincerity. But I was never able to verify directly. But I know I couldn’t sleep at night and I was like, man you know what? And then when I told this person, I was like, “Hey you, what do you think?” They’re like, “I’m going to call the cops.” I’m like, well man, I was like… I told him like, “Hey, I’m getting ready to come back maybe within… I can literally be in Cleveland maybe on Wednesday if, if everything goes well and everything.” And I was going to just do it in person, but I was like, I’m… I’m not going to have that happen and not come from me. And I even, I even told him too, like before he went to, you know, he finally got locked up, I said, “Hey man, hearing the story from you directly…” He’s like, “I can take a lie detector test, I know I didn’t hurt that kid blah blah blah.” He’s like, “I can, I can prove that that’s a fact. It’s when I came home the kid was already dead.” And I was like, “Are you serious right now?” And then like the phone hung up, and then he had to go to court and then they… they violated his probation for something I don’t know. And then he ended up going to go in jail for I think 90 days.

Operator: Child, we’re going to have the police check it out, okay? And they, okay.

Caller: Um, tried to… and he told me all he told me was that the kid was buried in the backyard. Now that’s all I know. And she had so many… back… yeah, right in his backyard, and that’s all he said, like, “We buried him in the backyard.” But the kid in question, I don’t know what his name is, but I guess he has a lot of problems. So I guess the only way to really figure it out is figure out how many kids she actually has and then figure out which one’s missing. Because what he did tell me that made me kind of believe his story was, he said he told him… and his girlfriend told um, the older kid that he was staying with his, with her sister who also has a special needs kid, and that way they don’t question it. You see what I’m saying like this? And I was like, okay.

Operator: So they, they think that, they may think that he’s with her sister.

Caller: Right, exactly. So the older kids might actually think hey this, you know…

Operator: Okay, so they might not question things.

Discovery and Family’s Outrage

Police then went to Lissa’s home to investigate the claims from Christopher’s brother. Police eventually got a warrant to search the backyard and eventually found little Jordan. It was determined that when Jordan died he weighed only 15 lbs. He was 5 years old. He also had some broken bones, so it was obvious trauma had taken place. Lissa was arrested and charged with Jordan’s death. Christopher was already in jail, but he was charged as well. Lissa’s family gave an emotional interview sharing their feelings on Lissa and what happened to Jordan.

Family Interview:

“And if I get the option to put her down forever, that’s what I’m going to do. Again, if a dog bites a person, a dog gets put to sleep for biting somebody. Well yeah, telling me that you got people out here killing the kids, do whatever to the kids, and some of them like… guy rests a little girl gets five years, you know, a guy gets caught with some weed getting 18 years. So I mean, the system is messed up. The way that I… I think that the way they should do it is if you put a dog to sleep for biting somebody, why would we not put somebody for killing a kid? Not only killing a kid but taking, putting this kid… yeah, putting kid remains somewhere else. Be there looking at your window knowing that that kid is there and not say nothing. I think she should get the same treatment as the dogs do.

There’s no justice for kids. I mean the kids can’t speak out. That’s a kid man. Kids are going to play, kids are going to get dirty. That’s what kids do. I know I did when I was a kid, you know what I’m saying? I’m so, so sorry, like I’m so, so sorry that you ended up with a mother like [Music] her. You leave them in the county, they’ll get split up. Separate thing is going to happen to them, what happened… same thing that happened to you guys is going to happen to them. I don’t know. I would like to keep them together if we could, like I said, me and Michelle going to try our best whatever we can, you know. I got a big home here, you know they can come here, half can come here, half can go to M, or we work something out.

I just… Lissa please, I’m begging you please. I have no words for her. Call me, I will go and put money on my phone for you to call collect. Let me know where the rest of him is, confide in me. I’m not going to be any madder than what I am. It’s already done and dead. I just want to give him the proper burial, burial respect man, that he deserves. That’s it. I will get him cremated and he could be with the family that actually loves, loves him. Please say something, please stop lying already. You’re supposed to help your kids, not hurt them.

I don’t have words for her. I can’t even deal with her. I had all of them at one time. Every time she popped a baby out, they all came to my house and stayed with me four days every time. Is she pregnant now? Well, that’s what she said. That’s what we… if she says it, it’s true. She had never thought about that… one probably is though cuz she gets pregnant every year. Yeah, but that’s not counting the miscarriages she had. That’s not counting the DNCs she had, yeah the abortions, so she would have a lot more, a lot more.

I just want you to think about what you’re doing, man. You literally followed Mom’s footsteps identical to her, identical. I wish you would… you could have let a man in that would have killed you and all your babies, not, not… I mean she, I think she would have been next. That I would have killed her, yeah. But it’s going to be an ongoing investigation because they want all the body parts and I just want to say actually cremate him.

Honestly, the blame here is CFS. Like if you would have went to the home and the kids go in, try to… would have been our… we all would have seen, you know what I’m saying? Even if we trying to save the kids. Blame for… I went over there and he wouldn’t let me in, and I said ‘I’m her sister.’ I went with bags for the kids and he wouldn’t let me in the house. But to me was a whole different story. He a tough guy, tough guy, but he would not come to the freaking door. I had to get in Lissa’s face for him to come to the door. Once he came to the door I was able to reach him and grab that man. That man and my sister… that man put a sock in my nephew’s mouth because I never seen my sister discipline her kids like that ever. When I say never, she ain’t never had a sock in that little boy’s mouth. That’s him, and I know it’s you, and I know you chopped the body up, and I know I’m going to find your sorry good… I can’t.

He had nobody to protect him, no innocent, and he couldn’t even speak at that. And he had no voice. No, it’s the sad part, that’s… and Child Services are supposed to be protecting our kids. They’re supposed to be the voices, they’re supposed to be the ones saying ‘oh hey, you can’t speak, sign language, where hurts, where… show me what do you… where’s your boo-boo?’ They know boo-boo, they would straight tell you to point. That’s what I’m saying, when I called kids first time on her, I told the worker to take Jordan into a room, and I told the worker that he couldn’t talk, to pinpoint the body. Now if they did that or not I don’t know. I don’t think they even did. But like I said, if they would have went there all these times like it says recently, they would have realized that Jordan was not there. And they would have asked for an address and a phone number and all that in Texas where this supposedly was. When you know damn well that everyone knows that there ain’t no family for him. Yeah, she knew.

How do you not know your child is missing? How do you not file a report? How do you go to bed knowing what happened to your child, that you lay down five kids every night but this one you’re not laying down? How do you not know? How do you not shed a tear? How… how is that possible? She looks crazy on her picture, she doesn’t she look like it? Don’t look… she doesn’t look normal.”

From all of the reports I read, it was said that Jordan was not… I found it interesting that the family states in this interview he was in pieces and they wanted to know where the other pieces were so they could give Jordan a proper burial. That was so hard to listen to. The thought of them trying to find all of him, it really messed me up. This was early on in the investigation so it’s possible they did not have all of the correct information on the condition of Jordan’s body, but I hoped they were able to put Jordan to rest as he so rightly deserved. It was also disturbing hearing them talk about Lissa just popping out baby after baby with no regard to the life she would be able to provide for them. I personally think her children were a means to get money from the state for her, nothing more.

Police Interrogation of Lissa Rodriguez

Lissa was brought in to speak with investigators in regards to Jordan’s death. Here are some recordings of that interrogation:

Detective: And if you want to continue this conversation later today, I’m happy to do that. If you want me to pull you back over here, I’m happy to do that. Um, I feel for where you’re at because no woman should ever have to bury their child, and I think you did the best you could with what you had. But that guy was using you.

Lissa: And that’s why I told my sisters too, I said if, if I ever get up out of here I’m not going back. My sister says that they would help me get back on my feet, do what I have to do. Cuz I was always, always had my own, always had my kids. My kids have never been a day without me. This is my first Christmas without my kids at the end of the day.

Detective: And, and, and I understand how you feel about “if I ever get up out of here.” I don’t know what they’re going to charge you with. My suspicion is it’s going to be murder B, that’s my suspicion.

Lissa: What gets me is he’s not going to get charged for anything.

Detective: Oh, now that’s not going to be true. And um, it, that’s not going to be true.

Lissa: And what is murder B?

Detective: It’s a um, it’s causing the death of another without a plan to actually do it.

Lissa: And how much time… what am I really looking at, can you tell me? I can’t, or just like a kind of like…

Detective: Um, I would say uh, honestly I would say probably double digits. What’s that? At least in the neighborhood of a double digit. Now I don’t know what happens later on down the line and I’m not in charge of that. I can only tell you that I had one other scenario that was very similar to this, and that particular female is doing eight years. But I would submit this to you: were it me in your shoes, I would be thankful that my children are in homes where the adults can take care of them. This is not going to prohibit you from having conversation with your children, this is not going to prohibit you from having a place in your children’s life. You will still have communication with them and you have a unique opportunity here. It doesn’t matter what you do to your children, they will always love you. The important thing here is that you tell the truth, all the truth, even the truth as they see it. Ability for your side of the street meaning: if I drank, if I doped, if I didn’t keep house, if I didn’t put sheets on your bed, if I didn’t feed you, if I was overwhelmed, if I didn’t do my part to take care of you, then I own that.

Lissa: And no, just like I take the responsibility I didn’t take them to the doctor, that was my fault. I mean, I didn’t call the ambulance when he needed it, that was my fault. I also had part in putting him there because I just had a baby so, you know, and I’m feeling my depressed, I, I diagnosed with PTSD you know, and probably postpartum. And you know, I didn’t know what to do, you know, I just got scared. And I just was like, you know, and I wasn’t ready to let Jordan go because I’ve been through so much with Jordan, you know, by myself even before I got with Chris. I was taking him to the doctor, I was, I mean it was a lot. But I was working on getting there cuz my work, I mean my uh, social, I mean social worker, my counselor has a premise so she was working with me on some things that I could do with Jordan.

Detective: Well let me ask you this in um… I don’t know who Patrick St is. My understanding from you is this was a one-time liaison with him or a couple of time liaison with him?

Lissa: Yeah, and then I got pregnant and here comes Jordan and I didn’t want nothing to do with him, he didn’t want nothing to do with me. Okay, so I told him I sent him back and I told him you need to go to Texas, back home where, you know, where you are. So…

Detective: But my question to you is, not to cut you off and I know you need to talk about this stuff to get it out, the law says that he is… he has a right to Jordan because he’s the father. What that he never comes forward or we don’t find him… he’s not gonna come.

Lissa: He’s not.

Detective: Then whom would you want to have Jordan?

Lissa: Michelle, my sister. And I talked to her last night.

Detective: Michelle or Anna?

Lissa: Michelle, okay, because she’s more responsible. Michelle’s more responsible, she’s more, she’s the oldest.

Detective: So in the absence of Patrick St you would want her to have Jordan’s remains?

Lissa: Yes.

Detective: And to follow through with what she wanted to do, which was a cremation?

Lissa: Yes. And to divide the remains between his siblings. I think that would be best. I talked to her yesterday and I told her I was going to let you know that, you know, because we all agree he’s never been there, he never want to… no part of Jordan. And even on Facebook I could even show you from old messages, you know, I sent him pictures of when he was in the NICU. I said, I told him when he was born. I didn’t, I didn’t have to tell him, you know. Those are things that even I try to connect with his sister. I didn’t get nothing from.

Detective: Well what if they come back and they do want them, then what?

Lissa: I doubt it, I mean but if they do then there’s nothing we can do.

Detective: The problem being, Jordan had an old left wrist fracture, his left wrist was broken at some point and it was healed, it healed on its own. How that’s something you need to tell us. Jordan also has three fractured left ribs that healed on their own, and a fractured right rib that healed on its own. And these are all injuries that were healing on their own without medical help, which means he was in a lot of pain for a very long time, and you’re not being honest about what was happening to this kid.

Lissa: See, when what happened, I mean I personally didn’t, but I was scared myself okay, scared of… I think talking to my sister yesterday actually opened up my eyes a little bit and made me realize I should not be the only one taking full blame for this. I never put my hands on my kids. You can ask any of them, and a lot of people used to tell me maybe that’s why sometimes your kids don’t listen, you know, sometimes I need to be more rough on… but that’s just not in me to sit here and I don’t want to be that mother either. I just don’t want to be that mother either, right? I don’t. I mean, I was like that when I was little. I can’t be that type of mom to sit there and expect you, okay, my kid may do something wrong, but I see other discipline, you know, timeouts, you know, corner, you know, bedroom, you know. Sometimes my help me girl worker even seen it herself, you know, no matter how bad my little ones connect up, I never had that in me to hit my kids. But I think I was just so scared because I used to get my ass beat by Chris just because I defended my kids. My daughter, my oldest daughter, my oldest son can tell you. My older son had to pull a knife on him because he put his hands on me the way he did.

Detective: How long were you and Chris together?

Lissa: About two years okay.

Detective: And he was living with you from day one?

Lissa: Yeah, all right.

Detective: Our understanding is that you were dating someone else who moved out and you met Chris online?

Lissa: I was with Jake, okay, but Jake wasn’t in the house for more than two weeks since when he left and then Chris came in right, and you met him online yes. If he can hit on me and he can discipline my other kids, but he wouldn’t discipline him like he did Jordan.

Detective: How did, how does he discipline Jordan?

Lissa: It was just different. I mean as far as you know how you said the sock in the mouth. None of my kids got the sock in the mouth, only Jordan. And I used to sit there and tell them don’t do that, you know. I used to get yelled at. My kids all can tell you I defended all my kids, and that’s where a lot of me and his arguments came in because I did defend my kids. And that’s where he would put his hands on me. He even put a sock in my mouth when I tried to yell for help. I felt like I was stuck. And every time something like that would happen he would always bring up and make me feel like guilty, like I was the one who did that to Jordan, and I didn’t hurt Jordan.

Detective: Well so what, let me just say this. We’ve seen pictures up until Christopher Rodriguez comes in the picture, he’s a healthy… was healthy. He was healthy, however for whatever reason he focused on that child. I don’t know what that reason was if…

Lissa: And he tried to keep everybody away from me. I couldn’t have friends, I couldn’t have family, I couldn’t have nobody.

Detective: I may have missed this. Did he actually physically abuse him that you seen?

Lissa: A few times that I’ve seen yes, okay.

Detective: And what, what did he do?

Lissa: He would smack him, he would… I mean I didn’t, me personally didn’t see him anything, I didn’t, you know I didn’t wasn’t around. Or if I went to the store, if I you know went out with my kids or something.

Detective: You won’t see a fracture.

Lissa: I didn’t, that’s why it shocked me because a compound fracture, right? Because I, my son had a fracture when he jumped off the uh bicycle, he was on the bike with my older son so I know you know like I took him to the hospital for that fracture. Like, but a rib fracture, but that… but see I wish I would, you know. It was just like Jordan trying to tell, tell me something. When I told you that he when he finally took his last breath it was like he was mad you know. Like I seen in his face like he just wanted to tell me something but I just didn’t know what that something was. And with him being speechless I mean I couldn’t understand what it was but I could tell it was just something so mad you know like angry. And I thought he you know like he was trying to cuss me out or something. But I took it as he was just trying to tell me “Mom I love you, I got to go” you know. But in my heart something told me that he had something to do with this. Because every time after this happened I just hated him. I hated everything. I hated, I just couldn’t stand to be around him.

Detective: Did you ever ask him to leave?

Lissa: I did. And he told me that if I was to call the cops that he had the gas in his name that they would tell me that he resides there that he can’t leave. I was, I just wish I was with Jordan.

Detective: And he said what did you say?

Lissa: I said I wish I was with Jordan. I wish I could take Jordan’s place for him you know. That’s, and he was just like you know cuz he didn’t like the fact that that I used to bring up Jordan. “Oh you know you don’t need nobody hearing you know what happened and this and this and that.” He would get pissed off.

Detective: What do you think he did to Jordan?

Lissa: I think that morning technically some, I mean something had to happen. I don’t know what it could have been. Something had to happen because Jordan wouldn’t just collapse like that you know. I don’t know if maybe he might have pushed him, shoved them, punched, could have even punched him.

Detective: Does he punch who knows?

Lissa: No I’ve never seen them, but I mean if you’re talking about any type of fractures I mean who’s to say.

Detective: There’s a big difference between punching a child in the face where you’re going to see the mark or punching a child… I’m going to interview the other one now, okay? Punching a child in the rib cage and no one sees that. So what I’m saying to you is this guy’s a street dude, he knows how to hit right. He knows how to hit somebody in soft places with a hard object and not leave a mark. So what, did he put a kidney shot on that boy? You see what I’m saying? Yeah. Who, who’s to say what that… what that… he was pissed off at that kid for whatever reason, puts a kidney shot on the good kidney and it’s left shut down, yeah. So now we could be very likely leaning toward a situation where Jordan was beaten to death based upon all these pre-mortem injuries that are in different stages of healing.

Lissa: And something told me, I don’t know what it was. It’s just a feeling that he had something to do with this because I not once ever… and as you’ve seen for yourself, pictures and everything, I’ve always posted my kids were always healthy. I’ve always took care of my kids. I never… with my kids everybody used to tell me some… even, even the uh, the officer at the house as you can he’s like “maybe, maybe you need a spanking” you know. And that’s not in me to do that you know. When I was little I got hit with extension cords, I got hit with boards, I got hit… I had to kneel on rice on a carpet. Those are… and I told myself those are things I never want my kids to go through. Nothing. I don’t want to compel my child through fear. And I remember he always used to telling me “well you need to discipline your kids and this and this and that.” And it’s just like I’m doing my best to discipline my kids.

Detective: What is his definition of discipline?

Lissa: His I guess is more like spank and I don’t know what he considers discipline.

Detective: Did you see him put the sock in Jordan’s mouth and put him in a closet?

Lissa: One time I did yes, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t.

Detective: Did he make Jordan sit in the closet?

Lissa: Not that I know of, not that I know, but it can’t no say when I step out or you know something like that. But as far as the closet goes, I know my kids play in the closet, that’s all I know. You know my kids love to sit there and hang on the little bar thingy and one time I caught my little one just sitting on the shelf up there and I’m like “what are you guys doing?” You know, typical kids you know, but as far as that I don’t know. But my children didn’t deserve any of this you know, like I’m screaming and you sitting there choking me.

Detective: Let me ask you this, um, is he… what you described to me about Jordan losing weight in his arms while developing a pot belly, that’s malnutrition.

Lissa: See, you can even when you talk to my daughter, that’s why I thought something was wrong going on with this kidney okay, but because he was losing the weight he was doing you know…

Detective: But I’m not saying you did this, my question is, is that some sort of discipline that he does to this child? No? Does he withhold food from him?

Lissa: No, there, that’s why none of us ever thought it would have been anything like that. Me, I thought it was his kidney because he… when he eat, everybody eat. All my kids eat first. I served every single last kid of mine first. And my daughter and my son anybody can tell you when I cook, I cook big meals. And Jordan, he was one to always eat. M, always. We get pizza, he eats like five, six pieces of pizza and you know surprising me cuz he was like “where do you put it Jordan?” You know, like I mean he always ate. He… that’s why it surprised me when he started kind of losing his appetite. And I used to have to sit with him and say “Jordan you got to at least eat something, at least take a couple bites,” you know. Because I never had that problem with him.

Detective: When does he begin losing his…

Lissa: Um, I don’t know the specific date, I mean… two months? Summertime, springtime, winter time? I could say it was about late, I mean maybe summer, early summer you know he started losing appetite. I got him to at least drink something. I don’t you know, like some behaviors were I saw where uncalled for. Sometimes Jordan will wake up, I mean remember how I told you like with his rocking? Um, that’s a signature, you… I don’t mean to…

Detective: No, he’s always did that ever since when he was… that’s sort of a signature of children who have spent time in an incubator or children who are autistic. They will rock and self-soothe themselves.

Lissa: See that’s the first time I heard that because I, I even asked the doctor too, and I was like “why does he do that?” you know. I guess self… because I wasn’t there to you know rock him and cuddle and you know until he was 4 months, that’s, that was what he used to do. And then used to get up in the middle of the night time I used to like he would sleepwalk. So I would you know sometimes have to keep an extra eye on him. Because I caught him one time going to the bathroom, getting toilet water and drinking toilet water. And I’m looking like “why is he…” you know, like is he even alert when he’s doing this? You know, it would be like certain behavior you know, like and I used to have to stop him. He go straight to the refrigerator. I don’t even know if he’s like awake when he’s doing this or when if he’s sleeping or you know, it’s just things I had to watch out with him. And he would just like get into anything and everything. And I noticed that when he did it, even after Jordan was gone, my other son was doing it, my other little son, my four-year-old. And I’m looking like “is it because he watched Jordan do it or why is he doing the same thing that Jordan was doing?”

Detective: It’s a good question.

Lissa: I don’t know, I mean is it a behavioral thing? I mean it’s just something that I okay, I recognize that Jordan used to do that you know. Like and it was just it… and Jordan was perfectly fine. It was just something I felt like in the house too like it was not really wanting us there you know like a sense of something. And I guess the, I don’t know if you guys heard about this, but I found out after I moved there, because when I went to see the house it had a caution thingy wrapped around it kind of like on the front bush. And I look like maybe it was just for a Halloween decoration or something, but the neighbors and somebody had told me that actually a father had killed his son or something happened there. So it kind of like you know like “wait a minute you know this house is just like bad luck you know.” And I mean Jordan’s behaviors didn’t start till we moved there in that house. I never seen Jordan’s behavior act any different you know. He… his behavior just changed you know. It’s just like I had to observe him a lot more there you know, things that he was doing I never seen him do.

Detective: Well to be fair by the time you move there he’s really developing. An autistic child might be a little bit delayed right? And he was 3 months delayed, he’s probably even more delayed than that. Um, if if we didn’t get him into school. But he’s developing into himself at age three. So is it a coincidence? I don’t know. Is there something to do with this house? Perhaps.

Christopher was interviewed as well but I could not find any recordings of those conversations.

The Corrupt Social Worker

You’re probably wondering, as I was, if anyone had reported what Jordan was enduring or where CPS was in all of this since Lissa was well known to them. In a disturbing twist to this case, it was uncovered that Lissa was in cahoots with a social worker in a SNAP benefits scheme. Oh yes, corruption to its core that aided in Jordan’s murder.

SNAP, short for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also previously known as food stamps, is designed for low-income families to supplement their monthly food budget. These benefits are supposed to ensure children in low-income families receive healthy food. SNAP will gather information on the family’s income and how many children are living in the home and calculate an amount of money added to a state-issued debit card every month that is to be used for buying groceries. There are prohibited items and they include alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, hot food, any food intended for immediate on-premises consumption like restaurants and fast food, non-food items such as pet foods, soaps, paper products, medicines and vitamins, household supplies, grooming items and cosmetics.

Nancy Carabello, a parent educator at an agency contracted with Catholic Charities, was assigned to the family of Lissa Rodriguez by CPS. Nancy was supposed to conduct monthly home visits to check on Lissa’s children and their living conditions and file a report with CPS. But during the investigation, it was found through phone records that on at least 12 occasions Nancy would show up to Lissa’s home and instead of checking on the children and inspecting the home, she would pick up Lissa’s SNAP benefits card, pay Lissa 50 cents on every dollar on the card in exchange for filing false reports on the welfare of the children and the condition of the home.

Investigators also found surveillance camera footage of Nancy using Lissa’s SNAP card to buy groceries at Sam’s Club, Walmart, Giant Eagle, and other stores. According to Nancy, the whole scheme was Lissa’s idea, she was just brainwashed into thinking she was helping Lissa. Because of Nancy’s corruption and greed, Jordan suffered in silence using the system created to protect Jordan for her own personal gain. I mean my God lady, you did this for groceries. She may not have laid a hand on Jordan but in my opinion she is equally culpable in his murder.

Lissa and Christopher were ultimately charged with involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, endangering children, and offenses against a human corpse.

The Judge’s Sentencing

Judge: The detectives Remington, Diaz, I certainly know that your job is very difficult. And I look at these photographs and it’s very hard, and I think you should be recognized more for the difficulty of what you do. And the same to the state and to the defense, this is equally difficult for you. What we do every day is so hard, people don’t give any of us the credit that we deserve for dealing with the horrors that are brought before us.

And Mr. Rodriguez, this is a horror. I know as a judge I’m not supposed to show emotion and in 22 years I never have. This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life. And I don’t understand Mr. Rodriguez why you don’t want to cleanse yourself and tell the truth about what happened here, and I hope someday you do. Whatever this child’s life was supposed to be, you make sure it didn’t happen, you and Lissa. I look at friends and family, people who are desperate to have children and want to have families, and you two have babies with no consideration. You just keep having them, having them, disregarding the value of their life, disregarding their purpose in life, like they’re less than an object. No regard. I didn’t even hear you say you were sorry.

I will not accept the recommendation for Mr. Rodriguez. These crimes are horrific. There’s no question in my mind that this child was abused. It’s clear that you did everything you could, you and Lissa, to hide evidence, to protect yourselves. You had every opportunity at so many points to make a difference, to get help, to stop beating somebody, to call the police, to ask for help, to try to take him to the hospital. I have to imagine that at some point you got on the internet and said “how do I bury a body” because this is unbelievable to me, the level of meticulousness that you went through to not be discovered. I honestly don’t know how you live with yourself. I, I don’t know how either one of you live with yourself.

The court imposes sentence as follows. Count one, involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the first degree: 11 years in prison. Count two, felony the second degree, felonious assault: 8 years in prison. Count three, felony the third degree, I’m sorry, felony the second degree: six years in prison. Count five, abuse of the corpse, a felony of the fifth degree: 9 months in prison. Counts 1, 2, and 3 to be served consecutive to each other and concurrent to the sentence imposed in count five, for a total sentence of 25 years. The sentence is to be served concurrent to the sentence previously imposed in 625-508 for a total sentence of 25 years.

Your sentences are as follows. Count one, involuntary manslaughter: 11 years in prison. Count two, felony the second degree, felonious assault: 8 years in prison. Count three, felony the second degree: 8 years in prison. Count five, abuse of the corpse: one year in prison. All counts to be served consecutive to each other with credit for any time served. That’s a total sentence of 28 years. It’s the maximum sentence available.

Nancy Carabello was ultimately prosecuted for her crimes and sentenced to 3 years in prison.