Police in Florida said the Pinellas County mother charged with the murder of her 2-year-old son fabricated the kidnapping story that led authorities to an AMBER Alert on Sunday.
Per WTSP, Investigators said Charisse Stinson, 21, lied about a man named Antwan knocking her unconscious and taking her son, Jordan Belliveau, after accepting a ride from him. Instead, Stinson allegedly killed her son and harmed herself to make her story more believable.
“We had released a composite and information on an Antwan. We do not believe there was an Antwan. There was not Antwan related to this case,” Largo Police Lieutenant Randall Chaney said, according to the news station. “We do not believe there was a white [Toyota] Camry. That was all fabricated by Ms. Stinston.”
WTSP also reported her family said Stinson is pregnant with another child.
Belliveau’s former foster family told the outlet that they had the slain toddler from age five months until spring of this year. The foster family said they wanted to adopt the boy and are frustrated with the system for failing him.
In an arrest affidavit obtained by WFTS, Largo police wrote that Stinson claimed she smacked Belliveau in the face “in a moment of frustration.” The smack reportedly caused the back of the toddler’s head to strike a wall, which resulted in him suffering seizures throughout the night.
The report accused Stinson of not getting help for her ailing son and leaving him in the woods to die. Authorities noted that the victim’s injuries were consistent with his mother’s confession, according to the news station.
Police said they’re also searching for a witness who possibly spoke with Stinson but didn’t play a role in the murder. Investigators said a man caught on surveillance footage at the 7-Eleven at 1200 East Bay Drive in Largo could have information crucial to their case.
Stinson, who made her first court appearance Wednesday, is being held on $500,000 bond for the aggravated child abuse charge and without bond for the first-degree murder charge.
[Featured Image: Charisse Stinson and Jordan Belliveau/Police Handout]