Trezell West said hed accidentally left a back gate open, as CrimeOnline previously reported, while he stepped back into the house, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Further, Adrian told detectives, Orson disappeared not long afterward, just days after the family moved to Bakersfield. A 10-year-old boy told investigators he watched his toddler brother die one night and that another disappeared after he heard a loud thud in the night. Missing toddlers Orrin and Orson West are shown in undated family photos. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 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A search by law enforcement agencies and community members yielded no results. In 2019 the West Family officially adopted Cincere and Classic and changed their names to Orrin and Orson West. Orrin and Orson West: Trial Begins for Parents of Missing Toddlers, Charged With Murder by KC Wildmoon March 29, 2023 A 10-year-old boy told investigators he watched his toddler brother die one night and that another disappeared after he heard a "loud thud" in the night. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He added the biological parents of Orrin and Orson didnt contribute to this DNA profile which suggests the toddlers didnt use this toothbrush. He was told the boy had gone back to his grandmothers. If youre shopping for a new purse, check out these luxurious bags that look quite high-end, but cost less than $100. "Im not a criminal. "You were aggressive and confrontational with (Jacqueline West), correct?" ", "Just knowing that they are handcuffed and they aren't leaving is a blessing," Rosanna Willis, a cousin to the missing boys, told KERO-TV. Orrin was first taken from his biological parents after he was transported to the hospital in 2016, according to the claim. Unfortunately, there's been no sign of the boys.". Market data provided by Factset. Orrin and Orson West, who were 4 and 3, were reported missing in 2020. You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. "They were playing with chalk [outside], I came into the house, I saw them there," West told KBAK/KBFX. McCoy said he based the request for $40 million on similar cases. 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I dont have a bad record.". So it's a lot of relief on our family.". Dean said in the suit that she fought to get her children back but that she was repeatedly denied. The boys were in the care of another family, but in late 2018, without provocation, CPS placed Orrin and Orson into the Wests home for no reason, according to the claim. The boys were removed from their biological mother's home by Child Protective Services and adopted by Trezell and Jacqueline West in September 2020. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Overcast. The boys are now presumed dead, and the Wests are on trial on charges including second-degree murder. Their biological father, Charles Pettus, has raised concerns about the adoption process and has filed a lawsuit against Kern County officials. Dean took Orrin to Memorial Hospital, where it was discovered his legs were broken. Numerous witnesses everyone from police officers, criminalists and FBI personnel to family members testified as the case resumed hearing testimony after a break in testimony. Lawyer suggests hell be exonerated, Nicole Avant Remembers Late Mother Jacqueline, Opens Children and Family Center in Her Name, US readies second attempt at speedy border asylum screenings, CloseUp: Trump says DeSantis is cratering. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Ryan Dean, the biological mother of Orrin and Orson, was questioned by a defense attorney, Alekxia Torres Stallings, about whether she remembers an altercation between herself and Jacqueline West. "I just want justice for my kids, and you know what these people did to me and the torment that I had to go through to find out what was going on with my kids," Pettus said Thursday. When the boys' biological mother took the stand via Zoom Tuesday, the defense brought that tip back into question. This past December, Orrin and Orson's biological father, Charles Pettus, filed a lawsuit against Kern County, the county's child protective services agency, and the State of California,. "This community has really come together,"23ABC News reporter Bayan Wang told Nancy Grace. All rights reserved. The bodies of Orrin and Orson have not been found. Prosecutor Eric Smith later asked Dean if she had involvement in a possible. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Legal Statement. Biological mom of two. The two boys DNA came to Kim after it had already been analyzed and converted into an electronic database showing the genetic makeup, rather than a live sample, he testified. 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The child's father said that he gave the baby two baths and that nothing else had happened that day. For Pettus, who lost another child in an accident, hes remaining hopeful he will see his sons again. The adoptive parents of two little boys in California City, CA . West/Watkins Family "We offered a reward out of our own pockets," the missing boys' uncle, Jamal Watkins, told ABC News. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter. Low 51F. The brothers whose names were changed by their adoptive parents to Orrin and Orson West were reported missing in December 2020. DNA results from one toothbrush collected from the West home showed it was used by a woman, he added. Child protective services removed them from their biological mother's home and they were adopted by Trezell and Jacqueline West in September 2020. In March 2019, Moorers request to have her grandchildren placed with her was denied, the claim said. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The claim, which is listed on the Kern County Board of Supervisors agenda for a closed session discussion Tuesday, alleges numerous events led up to the adoption of Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3, by Trezell and Jacqueline West, who were indicted Feb. 28 on murder charges in the boys deaths. Orrin was taken from Dean on Nov. 13, 2016, after she returned home from work and found the then-3-month-old "crying uncontrollably," the claim says. Their attorneys say the disappearance remains a missing persons case and that police took the easy way out to explain why they couldnt find the boys charge the parents with murder, KGET reports. Their biological mother's name is not known. Charles Pettus is the biological father of Orrin West, 4, and Orson West, 3, whose birth names were Cinsere and Classic Pettus. However, Dean testified she didn't know her kids were adopted or that their names were changed. Dean was excused after testifying for the prosecution but will likely be recalled for further testimony once defense lawyers begin presenting their case. Charles Pettus is the biological father of Orrin West, 4, and Orson West, 3, whose birth names were Cinsere and Classic Pettus. Orson was also taken away from Dean about 11 days after he was born, Dean added. Police suspect foul play was involved in the boys' disappearance, according to California City Police Chief Jon Walker. The address where the caller reported seeing the boys and the address given by Dean are roughly 2.5 miles apart, according to an online mapping website. In November 2018, Dean wrote a letter expressing her concerns about the lack of proper care her children received from the Wests, but nothing came of it. Her mother, Moorer, also filed requests to have the children placed in her care. High near 70F. 3 who had been renamed Orrin and Orson West had been playing in the backyard of their . Dean lost custody of then 3-month-old Orrin after he broke his leg while he was being cared for by Charles Pettus, the father of Orson. The claim states Dean had no prior criminal record nor any allegations of abuse against her at the time Kern County Human Services unlawfully took her child.. They were ordered held without bail, with the judge calling them "a significant and substantial risk to public safety. ( NewsNation Now) A prayer vigil was held in Bakersfield, Calif., on Thursday, marking exactly 10 months since Orrin West, 4, and his brother Orson West, 3, were reported missing. The foster system is set up to keep children safe and to reunite them with their family, said Waukeen McCoy, the attorney for Dean and Moorer and president and CEO of McCoy Law Firm. Orrin and Orson. Now they're charged with murder. The trial is set to resume Wednesday morning at 9:00. A dirty diaper showed at least two people contributed to the DNA profile, Kim testified. When asked by defense attorney Alekxia Torres Stallings, Dean said while she didn't get along with the Wests, she denied being confrontational or argumentative with them, even though such behavior was noted by Child Protective Services. FBI Agent David Hunter testified before Dean that he received a tip from Arlington, Texas that the boys had been spotted in this town after being asked by defense attorney Timothy Hennessy. [Featured image: Orrin and Olson West/handout], Rasheem Carter: More Remains Discovered of Man Found Decapitated With Severed Genitals in Mouth, Crime Stories with Nancy Grace: Handsome Tech Star Staggers Begging for Help, STABBED DEAD, Letecia Stauch Murder Trial: Expert Tracks Accused Killer Stepmoms Phone During, After Gannon Stauch Disappearance, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. Kern County Human Services and the state Department of Social Services are named as defendants. Whether heading on a camping trip, putting up guests or creating more sleeping space for a kids slumber party, air mattresses are useful to have. 00:00 / 00:00. Defense attorneys noted how other sleeping materials produced inconclusive results as to whether the kids left behind their DNA. Jacqueline and Trezell West, the adoptive parents of Orrin and Orson West, sit in Kern County Superior Court at their arraignment March 3, 2022. The children's biological mother accused the Wests of being complicit in their disappearance. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Thank you for reading! She is seeking $40 million in damages. You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "No," Dean said as she testified via Zoom, with disbelief flashing across her face. The Department of Social Services said it could not comment, and the human services department could not immediately be reached for comment. At this point, Dean said she started seeing a change in her children. In Kern County Superior Court, Chief Trial Deputy Eric Smith called upon Jeehak Kim, a criminalist with the Kern Regional Crime Lab who analyzes DNA, to connect those dots. Every DNA sample taken from a piece of evidence was compared to Trezell West, Jacqueline West, their two biological children, their two adopted children aside from Orrin and Orson and the biological parents of the toddlers who were reported missing. Orson and Orrin West have been missing since Dec. 21. This same child heard a thud in Orsons room one night when the Wests first moved to California City and never saw the 3-year-old again, according to Smith. While authorities said the brothers are dead, their bodies have not been found. A request for comment was not returned Friday by the Kern County Counsels Office or by Kern County Human Services, which operates Child Protective Services. Prosecutor Eric Smith later asked Dean if she had involvement in a possible. Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said during a March 2 news conference announcing the charges that the boys bodies have never been found. Last month, adoptive parents Trazell and Jacqueline West were arrested on murder charges. But Smith argued that the boys died months before they were reported missing, in September 2020, and that for Orrin, at least, the death came while they still lived in Bakersfield. 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An X-ray did not show any other injuries, according to the suit. Apr. It was inconclusive if Orrins DNA could match what was in the diaper. The . 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