'Children should not be dying': Death of 'Baby Jaxon' in San Jose drives calls for accountability

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. - Santa Clara County officials promised a transparent and urgent investigation Thursday into the death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez, who died after being placed with family members by county social workers.

The toddler was found bruised and beaten on Easter Sunday and transported to a hospital, where he died four days later. 

Prosecutors have since charged Jaxon’s 17-year-old cousin and foster brother with his murder. While the defendant has not been publicly identified due to his age, classmates indicated he was a student at Oak Grove High School in south San Jose.

10 workers placed on leave in light of Jaxon's death

Big picture view:

Santa Clara County Executive James Williams confirmed Thursday that 10 county employees have been placed on leave in connection with the case.

"We know the public is expecting answers and so are we," Williams said. "The safety and well-being of children is one of our most important obligations as a county organization. What happened to Jaxon is unacceptable and we are treating it with the seriousness and urgency that it demands," Williams said. 

The placement was handled by the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services. The agency is already under a corrective action plan by the California Department of Social Services following two other recent deaths of children in foster care.

In light of this latest tragedy, the county has requested that state authorities add Jaxon’s case to their current oversight. 

Officials also asked the state to continue its monitoring beyond June, when the previous oversight period was scheduled to end.

Calls for accountability

What they're saying:

Sylvia Arenas, the county Board of Supervisors vice president who oversees the committee working on state reforms, called for immediate accountability.

"Children should not be dying in the care of a system that exists to protect them," Supervisor Arenas said. "This level of system failure demands immediate action, course correction, and accountability in a way that we have not done before," Arenas said.

The case has sparked grief and calls for action within the local community. 

Aiden Rodriguez, a high school senior, joined other students in expressing concern over the toddler's death.

"It feels very personal to me because I, too, am an uncle," Rodriguez said. "My niece is just 5 years old. So just thinking that something like that could happen — I feel part of that grief."

County officials did not offer a timeline for the action, but said some changes can be made quickly while the investigation is still underway. 

Officials have promised transparency and will publicly release a record of all contacts relating to baby Jaxon's case in the coming weeks.