(KRON) — Jordan Cam Walker’s short life was filled with neglect at home and red flags raised by concerned adults, according to a new lawsuit filed against Santa Clara County’s Department of Child Protective Services and Department of Children and Family Services.

The six-year-old San Jose boy was stabbed to death at home in the summer of 2023. Jordan’s uncle is charged with murder.

Attorneys representing the boy’s grandfather, Morian Walker, filed a lawsuit this month against the county for failing to remove Jordan from allegedly neglectful family members.

The suit claims CPS agents placed the boy in dangerous home living environments, despite Walker’s numerous warnings and attempts to gain child custody through Santa Clara County courts.

The wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit, filed by Costanzo Law Firm, was first reported by the Mercury News.

CPS officials received “numerous credible complaints and reports that Jordan was living in a dangerous environment, both while in his mother’s care, and later, when placed with his great-grandmother,” the lawsuit states.

Little Jordan was removed from his mother’s care after he allegedly brought a bag of his mom’s methamphetamine to school. When he was placed in his great grandmother’s home, neighbors saw Jordan left alone outside for long periods of time, attorneys claim.

“Jordan was frequently seen on neighbors’ Ring cameras riding his bike at two and three o’clock in the morning, sometimes multiple nights in a row. The apartment was described as an endless revolving door of different drug users and homeless people — both short term and long term visitors, including Nathan Addison, Jordan’s maternal half-uncle and suspected murderer,” the lawsuit states.

On August 4, 2023, Jordan and his great grandmother, 71-year-old Delphina Turner, were stabbed to death by Addison inside the apartment , according to San Jose Police Department investigators.

Addison, 28, was released from jail just weeks before the double homicide. Turner allowed him to live in her apartment with Jordan despite Addison’s history of mental illness, drug abuse, and crime, attorneys claim.

The lawsuit claims that Walker was the only stable support person in Jordan’s life. “Morian (Walker) purchased Jordan’s stroller, all of Jordan’s clothing, every pair of shoes, and every toy Jordan owned until the end of his life,” the lawsuit states. He was not able to gain custody of his grandson to protect him, however.

Shortly after Jordan was born, his mother entered the Parisi House on the Hill, a drug
and alcohol treatment facility on Bernal Road where mothers can stay with their babies.

The suit claims that on February 10, 2023, less than six months before Jordan’s death, Jordan brought a bag of methamphetamine to Washington Elementary School and told his teacher that his mother gave it to him. The school called police.

Officials with Santa Clara County’s Child Protective Services, Department of Social Services, Department of Family and Children’s Services, were also called and made the decision to place
Jordan in Turner’s home, attorneys claim.

The lawsuit states, “Authorities were well aware of the family’s troubles, as evidenced by the Investigation Narrative written by social worker Kimmie Tran, where she stated, ‘the generational history of substance use, mental health, and criminal history indicate a risk … for the family environment the child is exposed to.'”

County authorities were allegedly aware that Turner had a full-time job with NASA. They failed to ask questions about who was watching Jordan while Turner was away at work, nor find out who periodically lived in the two-bedroom apartment, attorneys claim.

Jordan would wander around his neighborhood alone at all hours of the day and night, the suit states.

Morian Walker was upset and appalled that his grandson was placed in Turner’s home after social workers were told that Walker had a stable environment for Jordan to live in and Jordan loved his grandfather.

One social worker, Teana Box, “reassured Mr. Walker Sr. that the placement was only temporary until they figured things out on their end,” attorneys wrote.

On June 26, 2023, Department of Family and Children’s Services employees recommended that Jordan remain in the care of his mother. On July 17, 2023, his mother tested positive for methamphetamine. The court ordered Jordan to be placed into protective custody with Turner, and a judge scheduled a new court date for August 14, 2023.

On August 4, 2023, Jordan and Turner “were senselessly killed by Nathan Addison,” the lawsuit states.

Attorneys claim, “Jordan was tragically killed at the home he was placed in. This outcome was a direct consequence of the (county’s) failure to exercise reasonable care in ensuring the safety and protection of Jordan. The actions of Santa Clara County and its employees in placing Jordan in a dangerous environment constitute a violation of his civil rights.”

Defendants named in the lawsuit include Santa Clara County and its departments. Defendants also include individuals, including: Damion Wright, director of CPS; Wendy Kinnear-Rausch, assistant director of CPS; Teana Box, DCFS social worker; Sharhonda McGowanhenry, DCFS social worker; Candace Tejuco, CPS worker; and Kimmie Tran, DCFS social worker.

Addison is currently incarcerated in Santa Clara County awaiting trial.

Why Was Addison Out Of Custody When Jordan Died?

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed five separate criminal cases against Addison. None of the cases went forward to trials because of the court’s Mental Health Diversion program.

During the three years leading up to the double homicide, Addison was charged with a flurry of felonies for burglary, drug possession, attempted arson, theft, threats, and possession of a knife. During every arrest, Addison was armed with large knives, court records show.

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All of his criminal cases were suspended by judges who allowed Addison to be diverted out of the criminal justice system, into mental health treatment programs, and freed from custody, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said they tried, unsuccessfully, to keep Addison in jail in June 2023.

Addison was classified as moderate-to-low risk for future violence, according to court records. He lived at Muriel Wright center in San Jose until he tried burning the building down in February 2022. Employees said Addison became enraged when they took his knives away, and he ignited his shirt on fire.

He was jailed for the first half of 2022 and was evaluated by Dr. Carolyn Murphy. Murphy noted that Addison’s bipolar disorder caused him to experience mania, depression, and impulsive behaviors.

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