Boyfriend of mother-of-9 charged with murder after her disabled 5-year-old son was found buried in garden
Social worker Nancy Caraballo also faces charges after allegedly accepting food stamps as bribes.
The boyfriend of a woman who allegedly killed her disabled five-year-old son and buried his body in her back garden has been charged with murder.
The remains of Jordan Rodriguez were discovered in the back garden of Larissa Rodriguez and her boyfriend Christopher Rodriguez, in Cleveland, Ohio, on 19 December.
Also facing charges is social worker Nancy Caraballo who allegedly bought thousands of dollars of cut-price food stamps off Larissa, a mother-of-nine.
The boy had not been seen alive since September and court documents stated that the body showed multiple signs of abuse, including broken ribs.
Prosecutors say that the boy suffered from multiple ailments and his mother failed to get him medical attention for them while he was alive.
The investigation was sparked by a phone call from Pakistan, who may have been a relative of the couple, that said the boy was buried in the back garden.
Cleveland.com reported that social workers had noted in court records that her home was in "deplorable and unsanitary conditions".
It was also stated in the court documents that the Rodriguez home was infested with rats and cockroaches.
Larissa, 34, has already pleaded not guilty to murder felonious assault, endangering children and gross abuse of a corpse.
Court documents reveal that she told The Cleveland Division of Police she and her boyfriend buried the boy after finding him unresponsive.
Now Christopher is facing identical charges in connection to the death of Jordan.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley said Caraballo, a contract social worker with the Bright Beginnings agency, bought more than $10,000 in food stamps from Larissa, reported Fox News.
Larissa is currently pregnant and child welfare case workers say they have dealt with have dealt with her since 1999 with complaints including neglect and physical abuse.
It was reported that Caraballo was assigned to the family to make home visitations but may have ignored her obligation to report abuse or neglect because she was receiving the food stamps at half-price as a bribe.
