After suffering a life filled with abuse at the hands of people who were supposed to love and care for him, 7-year-old Adrian Jones was brutally murdered. To hide the crime, his body was fed to pigs. Now the boy’s biological mother and her family have filed a $25 million lawsuit against the parties they claim failed to protect the child, including “social workers, therapists, agencies, and hospitals” that the lawsuit called “disinterested bystanders.”
After suffering abuse at the hands of people who were supposed to love and care for him, 7-year-old Adrian Jones was brutally murdered. To hide the crime, his body was fed to pigs. Now the boy’s biological mother and her family have filed a $25 million lawsuit against the parties they claim failed to protect the child, including “social workers, therapists, agencies, and hospitals” that the lawsuit called “disinterested bystanders.”
But what happened? Who was responsible for Adrian’s death? Well, after Adrian’s mother “lost custody of him for neglect, he was sent to live with Heather and Michael Jones to have a better life.” Instead, he was subjected to abuse and torture. According to “documents kept by social workers,” Adrian’s father and stepmother homeschooled him and traveled back and forth between states to hide the abuse.
However, that’s not to say people didn’t call hotlines to report the abuse. One call reported that “Adrian was eating out of a trash can.” On another occasion, Adrian actually told a social worker that “sometimes he kicks me on the back of my head and a little bone comes out.” He added, “my daddy keeps hitting me in the head and punching me in the stomach and my mom keeps pulling on my ears it really hurts.” He reported to another social worker that “he was locked in his room, his parents can’t feed him, and no one kisses him.”
One of the horrifying aspects of this case is that social services were aware of the abuse Adrian was enduring, day in and day, and all they did was write it down. They stood idly by and allowed it to continue, which is a big reason why Adrian’s mother and family filed the lawsuit.
When news of the boy’s murder first broke, it made national news. For those who don’t know, “his remains were discovered by detectives in a pig pen on the family’s property.” Upon discovery of his remains, his father and stepmother were found guilty and jailed for his murder.
During Heather and Michael’s sentencing, people openly wept as detectives testified. When one Kansas City detective, Stuart Littlefield, took the stand, he said:
“I’m begging you please remember Adrian. He was 7-years-old. He was tortured and beaten and starved to death. He was left to rot in the shower that ultimately became his coffin … and when his parents could no longer stand the stench … what was left of his little body was fed to pigs. Sometimes I find myself looking at random houses wondering if another Adrian is trapped behind the door because there were people that saw the marks on his body and said nothing. Adrian is gone. We can’t change what happened, and we can’t bring him back, but we can change the future.”
As for Adrian’s family, they’re relieved they finally got his remains, and are “working on funeral arrangements and a memorial for him.”
Sources:
Adrian Jones’ family files wrongful death lawsuit
Family of 7-year-old who died a brutal death sues Kansas, Missouri social workers
Join the conversation!