Charles Pettus launched a lawsuit against Kerns County in December 2021. The sad and perplexing case of Orrin and Orson West has shaken the community in California City.It was on December 2020, four days before Christmas, that fou. The other 4 children were staying at the grandmothers house. Despite Dean attending court hearings for her childrens dependency and attending her monitored visits to see her children, CPS removed Deans parental rights in December 2018, according to the claim. In the lawsuit, Pettus alleges he was not able to vet the Wests as qualified adoptive parents and that the defendants placed the children "in an dangerous environment, which led to their disappearance.". Police quickly got search warrants, K-9s to track any scent and took the family van. Where are they? They needed somewhere to stay but CPS doesn't care.". Low 39F. The Wests extended family offered a 30k reward for an information leading to the safe return of the boys and asked the community to stop attacking their family. I am clear that my purpose and mission is to get my babies back. She has assisted in the search. Besides one absolutely bizarre clusterfuck of an interview where the parents described how the boys went missing, surrounded by a mob of angry loved ones, they have not given any more interviews. Ryan Dean, the biological mother of Orrin and Orson, and Dana Moorer, the boys maternal grandmother, allege in the claim that Kern County Human Services ignored Deans repeated reports of suspected abuse while the West boys stayed with Trezell and Jacqueline West before their adoption. Though the boys' bodies have not been found, a 14-month investigation revealed the couple killed their children three months before reporting them missing, authorities say. (March 4), Editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll takes you behind the scenes of the newsroom in this weekly newsletter, Foster care children are easy prey for predators: They disappear without a real search, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. We want to shed light on this so this wont happen to any other family in Kern County, McCoy said. They are being held without bail after the judge deemed them a significant and substantial risk to public safety.. The indictment lists several aggravating factors that may shed light on the circumstances of the crimes. There was a scar. He had a recent dream about the boys and said A woman has them and will kill them on March 14, 2021, and to look behind the apartment complex by the metal pole..look again red marking with spray paint. (He also said he fears they might already be dead.) Pettus said. Unknown to Dean, CPS allowed Trezell and Jacqueline West to formally adopt the brothers in September 2020, the claim states. Attorneys for the Wests entered not guilty pleas on behalf of their clients, who are facing second-degree murder charges in the boys' deaths. "This is not the outcome that we and so many others had hoped and prayed for," Bakersfield police Chief Chief Greg Terry said. Justice for our boys. Jacqueline and Trezell are accused of killing the two young boys in December 2020. These are babies who are loved and have an entire future waiting for them to explore. He has told the CO he will unalive himself if they don't move him. Theysearched inside the house and around the back yard. "They dont need to hand out children to any old people to get rid them. The police chief, who has given multiple interviews said What I do truly believe: That night theres no way that they could have got out of that neighborhood without some sort of assistance from an adult. He is certain that the boys are not in the house (dead or alive presumably). A place to discuss facts, evidence, and theories on missing Cal City boys Orson and Orrin West Orson and Orrin West went missing from their Cal City home on Monday Dec 21, 2020. Many other people contributed and the fund now sits at 125k and Billboards are up around the area. 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. Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg, Highlights of this day in history: Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in as president and vows to lead America out of the Great Depression; President Ronald Reagan takes responsibility for the Iran-Contra affair; The AAA is founded. Why didnt CPS look into that?" Trezell and Jacqueline West, the two charged in the murders of their adoptive sons Orrin and Orson West are set to be in court Friday. Vanished: Heidi Broussard (33) and Margot Carey (2wks). Their bodies have never been found. Trezell West said he kept an eye on the boys as he gathered firewood. The murder trial in that case is scheduled to begin May 23. The four other children were not in the home at the time and were with their grandparents for the Christmas holidays. May they Rest in Piece, Speculation is welcome, but must not be stated as fact unless evidence is provided, Press J to jump to the feed. They don't know anything. Overall this case is very quiet. They said they spoke with a police officer while others looked. "This is not a resolution in this case and there will not be a resolution completely in this case until these boys are brought home, Terry said. Because of this injury, the children were taken away. McCoy said he based the request for $40 million on similar cases. The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, states Trezell and Jacqueline West officially adopted the boys in September 2020, though the brothers started living with the couple in late 2018. By Wednesday the boys biological mother, Ryan Dean, came to join the search. They had been reported missing by their adoptive parents, Trez ell and Jacqueline West, from their home in California City, CA at around 6pm. Later that day, a Memorial Hospital staff member informed Dean that Kern County Human Services would be taking Orrin because they believed he had been abused, the claim alleges. 2020- Jane & John Does that got their names back, Alexander Pisch set up an easel to paint and then vanished, 23 year old Lauren Smith-Fields found dead after Bumble date, The Mysterious 9/11 Disappearance of Sneha Anne Philip, Everything you need to know about using the new True Crime Society Browser Edition, Everything you need to know about using the new True Crime Society App edition, Michael Haight killed 7 of his family members in a murder-suicide, Valentina Trespalacios was murdered and her body dumped in a suitcase, Brooke Spurgeon murdered by partner Christopher Nelson Hood in Texas, The Abduction and Murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand from Paradise, Texas, Missing Georgia woman, Debbie Collier, found dead, naked and burned, The Tragic Murder of 10-year-old Iliana Lily Peters, What happened to Cassie Carli? Id run till my legs gave out, scream their names till my voice was hoarse , till I collapsed with grief and exhaustion. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The trial of the adoptive parents of Orrin and Orson West should begin by the end of the month, court officials say. #MissingInAmerica pic.twitter.com/6mj20qq8XY. They were in the yard, and then they stayed around for a while. The boys have been missing for nine months. This call has not been made public. According to Trezell West, Orrin and Orson were playing outside their home at 10717 Aspen Ave., where they had moved from Bakersfield in September. The boys were not found, and police said they could not say what led them to the field because they need to preserve the integrity of the investigation. Jacqueline and Trezell are accused of killing the two young boys in December 2020. @NancyLoo has tonight's Missing in America. You have permission to edit this article. Orrin and Orson West, 4 and 3, respectively, were reported missing from their home in California City, California, in December 2020. K9s traced the boys scent inside the house, but never outside. Officials announced why this week: They had been killed three months before the search began to find them. Jacqueline was inside wrapping Christmas presents, and Trezell said he was outside collecting firewood. Our hearts are heavy right now.#TrezellWest, adoptive father of missing #OrrinWest, #OrsonWest, charged for #Murder. We now realize that the search for the boys began after the real tragedy had already occurred,"Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Terry told reporters Wednesday. Lawyers for the Wests did not immediatelyrespond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. A postponement was granted at the request of the West's attorney so he could have more time to go through evidence for the trial. Orrin West and Orson West were named Classic Pettus and Cincere Pettus at birth. We had no clue what was happening or who was out there and in an instant all six of my grandchildren were gone. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Orson West (pictured) and his brother were reported missing in December of 2020, Credit: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, It was announced this week that Orson and Orrin (pictured) are believed to be dead, Their adoptive parents, Trezell (left) and Jacqueline West (right), were arrested, Brothers, 3 & 4, looked skinny & one had a bruise on his neck before they vanished in double murder, grandma says, Inside sinister rise of pink cocaine sweeping UK nightclubs as warring cartels battle to control 'Coca Cola of drugs', We live on Britain's WORST street - it's rife with drug addicts, crime & prostitutes we're terrified for our lives, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. They were last seen wearing black sweaters and dark-colored sweatpants. A readiness hearing is happening at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning. We will see if that turns into more and it is incumbent upon these bureaucratic government agencies to do more with respect with the lives of children, this is not a puppy that we are taking form one shelter to another, these are human beings.. 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Mainly clear. Once that didnt pan out, I got in the van, I looked down the street in both directions, it was getting dark, getting cold.". I realized that I left the back gate open and I panicked and came inside the house, searched the house, me and my wife, Trezell West told 23ABC. Out here two houses down and then they went all the way to the end of the block. A postponement was granted at the request of the West's attorney so he could have more time to go through evidence for the trial. Who is involved? Soon the FBI and Bakersfield police joined the efforts, everyone known to the Wests were interviewed and the Wests surrendered their remaining 4 children to foster care pending the results of the investigation. Ive seen other posts on the topic so I tried to compile the full story here. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. McCoy said deputies should not have taken the newborn child away from his mother, even to ensure the siblings remained together. There was a GFM to raise money for the billboards, I had a look and it was closed off after raising almost $4k. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Zimmer declined to answer questions, saying she was not permitted to reveal details of the case before the trial. That suit alleges the county was negligent to take the boys from their birth parents Charles and his mother, Brenda and place them in the custody of the West family, which adopted the boys and had custody when they disappeared. I d. AboutPressCopyrightContact. They were arrested in March after being indicted by a grand jury. Orrin and Orson's adoptive parents were arrested under the murder charges. They seemed scared, they were losing weight and Orson had scratches on his face, the claim states. Orrin and Orson West were reported missing on January 21st, 2020 by their adoptive parents and still haven't been found. At 5:32 pm a neighbors surveillance video showed his white van driving off. Their bodies have never been found. A place to discuss facts, evidence, and theories on missing Cal City boys Orson and Orrin West Orson and Orrin West went missing from their Cal City home on Monday Dec 21, 2020. The Wests interview was incredibly bizarre, Ill link it here. On December 21, 2020, Trezell and Jacqueline West told California City police that Orrin, then 4, and Orson, then 3, had disappeared from the family's backyard, Zimmer said. He said he briefly went indoors and when he came back out the children were missing. The Wests, who adopted the boys, gave aninterviewafter they vanished. Low 39F. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3YqU-yMAU&t=177s&ab_channel=AVNEWSCREW. The appearance will be one year to the day since the two were arrested and charged with six felony counts, including two counts of second-degree murder, in connection with the boys' disappearance. But it absolutely had nothing to do with my decision (to retire)., Ive taken this department to a place where we can push farther but the fact that the resources arent there for us to push any farther. He claimed in the lawsuit that Child Protective Services was negligent when they took his biological children away and placed them with a couple outside of friends and family. Did the boys ever actually make it to the home in California city? Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. ", "It's difficult. Jacqueline and Trezell West, the adoptive parents of Orrin and Orson West, will be in court on Wed, March 1. Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3, had been playing outside in the early evening, adoptive parents Trezell and Jacqueline West told police. Wanda West, the adoptive grandmother of the boys, released a statement on March 28. In short, nothing. OPINION: Foster care children are easy prey for predators: They disappear without a real search. You never know who might know something.. I came inside the house, searched the house me and my wife.. When he returned, the pair had vanished. ", "Its a baby, he cant protect his little self.". If convicted of the most serious charges, Trezell and Jacqueline West could face30 years to life in prison. A place to discuss facts, evidence, and theories on missing Cal City boys Orson and Orrin West Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. So the childrens father, Mr. Pettus, went in to allow DNA to be collected see if there was a potential DNA match.. The couple said they scoured the neighborhood after noticing the boys were missing. Adoptive parents killed California brothers Orrin and Orson West months before reporting them missing, DA says, California City Police Department/Handout, Horoscope for Saturday, 3/04/23 by Christopher Renstrom, West I-80 closed near Tahoe due to snow and 'multiple spinouts', Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, Even Salesforces tower HQ isnt safe from office cuts, Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, Mochi muffin bakery closes SF cafe after just 4 months, Oakland ransomware attackers leak 'confidential' data, The Warriors broke Russell Westbrook, just like old times, The best fried chicken is at a San Francisco strip club, Escape to Long Beach, Washington before the summer crowds, 14 things you need in your car before you drive to Tahoe, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Police said the Wests were both charged on Tuesday with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of willful cruelty to a child. Now law enforcement and the boys' family are focused on finding their bodies. Orrin and Orson West's biological father spoke with 17 News about his experience dealing with the boys' disappearance. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. No sightings from any of the neighbours of the kids in the three months they lived there. TWO boys allegedly killed in a double murder looked skinny and one had a bruised neck before they disappeared, their grandmother claims. She said a grand jury indicted them based on evidence she saidprovesthe boys are dead. The Wests just seemed defensive. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It does show that the fence was open, however. Moorer sought to prove the West boys could reside with her. It quickly goes downhill. On March 1, 2021, it was announced that the Bakersfield Police Department was now the main agency in this investigation. Police said the Wests were both charged on Tuesday with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of willful cruelty to a child. Police have since searched the adoptive grandparents with no luck. I discuss the strange behavior of the adoptive parents as well as an interview that maybe are comparing to Chris Watt's interviews. Neighbors at the Casa Loma apartments where the West family lived until 2019, before moving to California City were interviewed. They had been reported missing by their adoptive parents, Trezell and Jacqueline West, from their home in California City, CA at around 6pm. Out of my reach. Kern County Superior Court Judge Chad A. Louie granted the prosecution's requestto seal the offense reports outlining the Bakersfield Police Departments investigation, The BakersfieldCalifornian reported. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this video and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. I saw them there, go in the house, I came back out, I didnt see them now, West said at the time. The couples other children were placed in protective custody. A grand jury indicted the boys' adoptive parents this week, Kern District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer told reporters. As the Wests phones were seized, it is unclear when the last picture taken of the boys was/had not been released. The investigation has also revealed that they died three months before their adoptive parents reported them missing.. "Were trying to take it one day at a time," Pettus said of her family. On March 12, police served a search warrant at the home of the adoptive grandmother. The biological father, Charles Pettus, spoke to the media in October 2021. A week later, "crucial information came to light" that caused the Bakersfield Police Department to join the search effort, Zimmer said. I have not given up hope for those kids. You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. They don't know anything. Investigators haven't released information about what led to the conclusion that the boys are no longer alive. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. In September of 2020 the family moved to California City. Come forward. Their trial is set to begin on May 23. The biological aunt starts confronting them, asking them why the children were unattended, why were those two in the house while the boys were outside, saying they were supposed to protect them. Winter weather warning in effect as 2 back-to-back snowstorms set to batter US THIS WEEKEND and fuel travel fears, were last seen playing in the backyard of their home. After 14 months since Orrin and Orson West were first reported missing from their California City home where they lived with their adoptive parents, Trazell and . When he came back outside was when he realized the boys werent in the yard. The family's four other children, two of them also adopted, are in protective custody, Zimmer said. "Were trying to take it one day at a time," Pettus said of her family. 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. Here we discuss Orrin and Orson . But they were never found. I actually didnt realise that any remains possibly related to the boys had been found until I started to research this case. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The trial of the adoptive parents of Orrin and Orson West should begin by the end of the month, court officials say. In a 2021 interview, Jacqueline West said: "Everybody's making their own conclusions. Orrin and Orson West, 4 and 3, respectively, were reported missing from their home in California City, California, in December 2020. The case has roiled the small community of California City, a desert town in Kern County. 4-year-old Orrin and 3-year-old Orson West were reported missing on December 21, 2020 by their adoptive parents, Trezell and Jacqueline West. Orrin was first taken from his biological parents after he was transported to the hospital in 2016, according to the claim. Law enforcement agencies spent hundreds of hours over the next year unsuccessfullysearching for the boys, Zimmer said. There were no recent pictures of the children found on Facebook. You could argue that they were following authority, but their first priority would be finding their children, not obeying orders IMO, sounds more like an excuse than a reason. Ultimately, Pettus family attorney Darren Richie said, Kern County put the brothers in an unsafe situation and is responsible for whatever happened. Justice for our boys. I came home and I told my wife, We need to call the cops, Trezell said. Lucy Letby- Killer Nurse? Kern County CPS did not have any comment regarding the suit. Orrin and Orson West Parents:- Orrin and Orson West were 2 brothers who were reported missing by their adoptive parents after 3 months of missing on 21 December 2020. He has been right before and helped authorities on other missing persons cases. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Jacqueline sways back and forth silently, (Chris watts anyone?) It needs to be sharpened.". Their house has been vandalized and they no longer live in the house for safety fears. Hello all, this is a case I hope to bring some awareness to as its been months with no sight of these two boys. I didnt know they even sent them out to other people., Some articles say that Charles had another child who died in an accident at some point. The boys' adoptive parents, Trezell and Jacqueline West,. The investigation has also revealed that they died three months before their adoptive parents reported them missing.. Orrin and Orson went missing shortly before Christmas 2020, and the disappearance baffled investigators and family alike. This morning, Im saddened to announce that the investigation has revealed that Orrin and Orson West are deceased, she said. Searches of the home and the Wests vehicle yielded nothing of note. We're going through it.". Neighbors in California city said similar things, that the children never came out to play. The couple say they began fostering Orrin and Orson in 2018 and officially completed the adoption process in 2019. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Fort Valley State University student Missing Where is Anitra Gunn? West said he searched the street in his van but as it got cold, dark and wet, he called police. 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"I knew something happened to them as soon as they were reported missing," the boys . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Today I am still in shock, hurt, worried, upset but not confused. The public is strongly discouraged from making assumptions of guilt and dissemination of rumor and speculation.. Alekxia Torres Stallings, the attorney for Jacqueline West, walks between the defendants. Bakersfield Police declined to comment on the possible discovery of remains and said it is routine to ask family of missing persons to submit DNA samples. DA: Orrin and Orson West died three months prior to being reported missing. All six of them. The family lived in Bakersfield before moving about 60 miles east toCalifornia City in September 2020. Zimmer declined to say whether Orrin and Orson had actually ever been in California City, adding thats something were going to answer during the trial., FROM OUR EDITOR, TO YOUR INBOX: Editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll takes you behind the scenes of the newsroom in this weekly newsletter. Katie Dowd is the SFGATE managing editor. Or Hospital Scapegoat? Police K-9s caught the boys scent inside the house but not outside. Trezell West, 35, and. Zimmer declined to provide further details, pending the Wests' criminal trial. "Why didnt they notice that. The judge ordered they be held without bail. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter. I dont want my kids to be deceased, I want them to come back home because my kids is all I got, Charles said After my parents go, its just me and my kids., He also spoke about how he found out that his kids had been adopted in the first place:I was looking through family members phones and then we watched the news, thats how we found out, Charles said. Their birth names were Cincere and Classic, but have since been changed by the adoptive parents. Trezell, 35, and Jacqueline West, 32,were arrested this week on two counts of second-degree murder, willful cruelty to a child and one countof false report of an emergency,Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said. All information is provided on an as-is basis. So far, over 20 search warrants have been issued in California City, Bakersfield, and other jurisdictions. Many have questioned their parents credibility. Police seem confident that the children never left the neighborhood/area. The adoptive parents of California brothers Orrin and Orson West, who have been missing over a year, have been arrested on suspicion of killing the toddlers. While it is not confirmed by law enforcement why Ryan lost custody of the boys, she claims it is because of medical marijuana use-. They werent dressed for the cold, they were young and couldnt have walked that far and not be seen on the many security cameras throughout the neighborhood. The home is now boarded up and vacant; the Wests relocated back to Bakersfield, which is also where Orrin and Orson's biological mother lives. Their adopted parents in California City reported them missing from home. He says Jacqueline was inside wrapping presents while he went out the back gate to gather wood for a fire.