New uncovers the sad situation of Ellie Lorenzo, a 3-year-old girl from the Bay Area Her body was found at a recycling in San Jose, California. Court papers show that Ellie’s mother, Chrystal Obi, fought legal battles and made desperate appeals for help against Ellie’s father, Jared Lorenzo.
Fearful Mother
Chrystal Obi, Ellie’s mother, had long expressed concern about her daughter’s safety visits with her father ordered by the court. Her worries were documented as early as 2021, showing Jared Lorenzo’s alarming conduct. Even though Obi repeatedly asked for supervised visits and voiced her concerns about Jared’s mental health and potential drug usage, he was still allowed to see Ellie.
Legal Fights and Custody Problems
In October 2021 court papers show that Chrystal Obi requested supervised visits for Jared along with drug screening and mental health checks. The courts confirmed these worries with hearings until 2023. Nonetheless, they ultimately granted unsupervised visitation privileges. This decision had tragic consequences. Only last week Chrystal received approval from the court to relocate out-of-state with Ellie, but the disaster happened before they could leave.
The Sad Incident
Jared Lorenzo collected Ellie on July 11th for a visit stipulated by the court order. The next day she was discovered dead at a San Jose recycling plant. According to Chrystal Obi’s statement, it is said that Jared hid his daughter’s body inside a bag within a box and thrown into a dumpster. He was later discovered dead in San Francisco due to suicide after not showing up for custody handover.
“Ellie, Mommy loves you so much. Please know that we are looking for you and we will find you. Mommy will find you, alright?” Chrystal Obi made this emotional plea on television before the discovery of Ellie’s body.
Failures of The System and Opinions of Experts
The inability to protect Ellie has drawn a lot of criticisms towards the system. Joan Meier, a Professor in Clinical Law at George Washington University, underlined that similar cases are common. Her research shows that family courts frequently disregard serious risks posed by one parent when the mother asks protection for her child.
“Even though there were several appeals, the system failed to keep this child safe,” said Meier. She further pointed out that courts often take a laxed attitude in custody fights disregarding potential dangers some parents could inflict, particularly fathers.
Timeline of Warnings
- October 2021, Obi requested supervised visits and drug checks for Jared.
- January 2022, there was a request for an emergency hair follicle drug test.
- June 2023, A private evaluator was appointed by the court to decide on custody matters.
In spite of these measures, unsupervised visitations were granted by the court in December 2022 allowing Jared to have custody over Ellie from Thursday mornings until Friday evenings.
Father’s Alarming Behavior
Court papers disclosed Jared’s volatile conduct frequent absence and alleged drug usage. In her pleas to the court, Chrystal depicted Jared as mentally unstable paranoid potentially abusing drugs like Adderall.
Jared’s niece backed up Chrystal’s allegations mentioning her uncle’s troubling performance in her letter to court. “(Lorenzo) could be abusing illicit drugs or misusing his prescription amphetamines,” Chrystal mentioned in her request for custody.
Last Tragic Moments
Jared took Ellie on July 11th for a visit which turned out to be their last. Between the night of July 11th and the early hours of July 12th, Jared killed Ellie. He then disposed of her body into a dumpster in San Jose before he headed to San Francisco where he committed suicide. The cause of Ellie’s death was determined as blunt force trauma to the head, this detail was confirmed by the coroner at Santa Clara County.
Reactions from Community and Legal Experts
The case is still under ongoing investigation by the San Jose Police Department as they are trying to determine Jared’s intentions.
According to SJPD Sgt. Jorge Garibay, this incident is marked as an appalling and tragic loss. Family law lawyer David Patton commented, “Courts seek equilibrium. We strive to get these scenarios right, but it sometimes goes horribly wrong just like in this case. This outcome is truly terribly sad.”
Moving Forward
A funding page has been set up on GoFundMe for donations towards Ellie’s funeral costs. The community mourns upon Ellie’s prematurely extinguished life which had so much potential. The memorial service will commemorate Ellie’s sweet smiles friendly disposition playful spirit, and loving heart.”
Final Thoughts
The terrible death of young Ellie Lorenzo points out glaring imperfections in our family court system, emphasizing a pressing need for reinforcement protection measures for children cautiously consideration each warning issued during custody disputes can help prevent failures that can lead into such grave consequences showcased here.
