(Re-Release) Episode 146: Alexavier Pedrin (Part 1)

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: Suffer the Little Children
Episode: (Re-Release) Episode 146: Alexavier Pedrin (Part 1)
Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Laine

Main Theme:
This episode dives into the heartbreaking story of Alexavier Pedrin, a six-year-old boy from Wisconsin whose short life was marked by instability, abuse, and systemic failures. Host Laine meticulously reconstructs Alexavier's family history, focusing on the backgrounds of his key caretakers—his parents, Derek and Jenna, and his stepmother Josie—while exposing missed red flags, gaps in child protective services, and ongoing domestic violence. Part 1 lays the context for Alexavier's tragic end, highlighting how warning signs were persistently ignored.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Case (00:00–05:10)

• Trigger Warning: Laine provides a content warning for graphic depictions of child abuse and violence.
• Brief of Alexavier's Case: His death followed a history of reported neglect and abuse, with failed interventions by authorities.
• Episode Motivation: Laine takes on Alexavier’s story at his family’s request, especially in light of a recent arrest in the case, reflecting the challenges families face seeking justice and coverage.
  • "Because there seemed to be no movement in the investigation, the police weren't releasing any information about it, and the media wasn't responding to the family's requests for updated coverage." (03:32)

2. Backgrounds of Parental Figures

Jenna Marie Anderson (Alexavier’s Mother) (05:10–07:00)

• Early Life: Troubled teenage years, escalating to car theft, runaway status, substance abuse, and eventually juvenile detention.
  • “They let me go real easy when I first got in the system.” – Jenna (04:35)
• Later Years: Noted improvement after detention but ongoing instability.

Derek Lee Pedrin (Alexavier’s Father) (07:01–12:10)

• Criminal Record: Long, turbulent history involving theft, domestic violence, bail jumping, substance abuse, and probation violations.
• Domestic Violence: Recurring theme, with Jenna at times both victim and enabler (removing no-contact orders).
• Associates: Dustin Barnes—his name recurs as linked to both criminal activities and abusive households.

Josie Marie Dyckman (Stepmother) (12:11–22:00)

• Connections: Former friend of Jenna, linked to Dustin Barnes (Derek's former accomplice).
• Early Motherhood & Neglect Allegations:
  • Neglected boyfriend’s toddler, leading to skull fracture and brain injury (2011). Charge dropped.
  • Substantiated for child neglect; later, convicted when same child returned and was again neglected—malnourished with multiple fractures.
• Pattern of Abuse & Neglect:
  • Only the non-biological child (HT) suffered severe abuse—food and hydration deprivation, punitive isolation, and physical injury.
    • “The hand injuries were consistent with someone slamming a toilet seat down on HT's hands.” (13:30)
  • Family members and social workers repeatedly reported Josie's harmful behavior.
  • “Josie would only allow the little girl three drinks per day so she wouldn't wet her pants.” (14:00)
• Financial Crimes and Addiction: History of fraud, substance use, and instability.

Notable Court Quotes & Perspectives:

• “This is an individual who let his own child suffer to keep a female happy.” – Prosecutor Emily Hynek (18:09)
• Judge Elliot Levine on HT’s condition: “Your base instinct to protect your child just went out the window. You are lucky your daughter didn't die.” (18:18)
• Judge Dale Passell on Josie's probation: “It's hard to believe someone would do this to a 3 year old. It broke my heart when I read about her climbing out of her barricaded bedroom…” (20:45)

3. Blended Family Dynamics and Official Oversight Failures (22:01–29:49)

• Blended Household: Derek, Josie, several children from various previous relationships—all living under one unstable roof, in and out of Wisconsin and Missouri, chronically homeless and under social service scrutiny.
• Frequent CPS Reports: Concerns about Alexavier’s well-being, including:
  • Minor but suspicious injuries (bruises, abrasions)
  • Possible sexualized behaviors (never confirmed as ongoing)
  • Repeated exposure to domestic violence
  • Reports mostly “screened out” or referred to community programs due to high thresholds for intervention.
• Notable Report (23:22):
  • AP (Alexavier’s older sister) told ER staff: “She didn’t like going to her dad's house because he and Josie often fought.” (23:37)
  • "The caller's worst fear ... was that if neglect was taking place, this could get worse and result in more significant injuries to Alexavier and/or the other children." (24:15)
• Systemic Inaction: Despite mounting evidence and repeated family concerns, CPS action was limited, often citing insufficient evidence of immediate danger.

4. Significant Domestic Events (29:50–32:30)

• Physical Altercations: Derek’s violence toward Josie led to multiple no-contact orders (always reverted at Josie's request), further destabilizing the household.
  • Josie’s self-report: afraid Derek “will try to kill me.” (32:38)
• Blended Family Collapse: After a cross-state move to Missouri with Jenna and her children, an altercation between Jenna and Josie resulted in a violent attack witnessed by several children.

5. Chronic Instability and Environmental Concerns (32:31–39:00)

• Grandparental Intervention: Grandmothers attempted to gain custody; multiple family members sought to document or intervene for Alexavier’s safety.
• Reports of Neglect: Lack of supervision, chaotic moves, homelessness, absence from school—all repeatedly noted by relatives and professionals.
• Incidents with Josie: Strict, punitive behaviors reminiscent of her past (e.g., making Alexavier drink his own spit—a chilling echo of her earlier neglect of HT).

6. The Lead-Up to Alexavier's Death (39:01–44:20)

• January 2023:
  • Alexavier suffers a suspiciously severe injury—a fractured femur. Vice-filled explanations offered, inconsistent with medical knowledge.
    • Josie: "This was the exact reason they went to Mayo and not Gunderson Hospital because she felt Gunderson was more likely to contact cps." (39:20)
  • Doctors ultimately (perhaps erroneously) classify injury as accidental; CPS opens case, visits home, but finds apparent order and no emergency intervention warranted.
  • Caseworker observation: “Alexavier was on the couch when this writer arrived and was talkative and happy… He stated that he was feeling better and excited to be starting back to school on Monday.” (43:34)
• Failed Safeguards: Less than three weeks after the broken femur, Alexavier would be dead—again underscoring system failure.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the System's Failures:
  • “Based simply on this family's history of domestic violence and past CPS involvement. That may be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard.” – Laine (38:47)
• On Repeated Reports Being Ignored:
  • “The report was screened out as no threatened, harm or maltreatment, recommending the family be referred to the Community Response Program.” (24:53)
• On the Tragedy of Missed Intervention:
  • “I can't help thinking that if Josie had been adequately charged for the abuse against her boyfriend's little girl, I might not be telling you this story today at all. I truly wish I wasn't.” – Laine (21:09)
• On Family Desperation:
  • “Josie needs help and the kids need stability.” (28:41)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00–05:10 – Introduction to the case and motivations for covering the story
• 05:10–12:10 – Overview of Jenna and Derek’s backgrounds and turbulent relationship
• 12:11–22:00 – Josie Dykman's criminal and child neglect history
• 22:01–29:49 – Early warnings, influx of children, and repeated but ignored CPS reports
• 29:50–32:30 – Escalation of domestic violence and its impact on the children
• 32:31–39:00 – Chronic instability, moves, homelessness, family and system responses
• 39:01–44:20 – The fractured femur, unsatisfying explanations, medical and CPS assessment, and ominous lead-up to Alexavier’s death

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Episode Tone

Laine’s narration is resolutely factual, investigative, and often indignant—often expressing heartfelt frustration and sorrow over the systemic failings that failed Alexavier and other vulnerable children. The tone is compassionate toward victimized children and critical of both abusers and institutional inertia.

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Conclusion & Set Up for Part 2

Part 1 ends with Alexavier’s death looming in the immediate future, after a long series of red flags and warnings. Laine promises a more detailed recounting of Alexavier’s final days—and family responses—in the next episode.

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For listeners, this episode is a thorough, evidence-driven recounting of how an entire system failed to save Alexavier Pedrin. It spotlights the devastating consequences when abusers are insufficiently held accountable, and the vital importance of persistent, thorough intervention.

Transcript

[Laine]

This podcast contains descriptions of violence against children in adult language and is not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Hi everyone and welcome to Suffer the Little Children, the true crime podcast, giving voices back to the victims of child abuse and shining a harsh spotlight on the parents, guardians and caretakers who silence them. I'm your host, Laine, and this is episode 146. Alexavier Pedrin, Part 1 In 2011, 19 year old Josie Dykman was accused of child neglect after her boyfriend's one year old daughter suffered a skull fracture and a brain injury in her care. That charge was dropped. Two years later she was convicted in a separate child neglect case regarding the same little girl by then age three, who had been returned from foster care only to become malnourished and suffer fractured hands and feet while in Josie and her boyfriend's care. After Josie moved in with her new boyfriend, Derek Pedron, forming a large blended family with seven children, loved ones began reporting concerns that Josie was abusing or neglecting Derek's son Alexavier. Derek and Josie began refusing to let Alexavier's maternal family see him. On February 10th of this year, police performed a welfare check at the family's request, finding Alexavier asleep and very drowsy but supposedly fine. Fifteen hours later, police returned to the home where six year old Alexavier was pronounced dead. This is part one of the infuriating story of Alexavier Pedrin. This episode is coming out several days later than I planned, but there's a good reason for it. Alexavier's family reached out to me earlier this month and asked me to cover his case. Because there seemed to be no movement in the investigation, the police weren't releasing any information about it, and the media wasn't responding to the family's requests for updated coverage. Then, on May 19, just as I was starting to put the next week's episode together, there was an arrest in the case. The first court appearance happened on Monday the 22nd, so I had to wait until the criminal complaint was released on that day to start connecting the dots so I could tell you the most comprehensive version possible of Alexavier's story. I had no idea just how intricate this story would end up being. At first I planned for one episode, which quickly evolved into two, and now I've realized that three will be necessary to tell the whole story. Up to this point, however, I'm hoping to release all three parts of Alexavier's story within a two week time frame rather than over three weeks like I normally would. In part three, you'll hear the conversation I had last week with Alexavier's cousin Raven and his Aunt Annie, who are both relieved there's been an arrest, but feel very strongly that La Crosse County, Wisconsin did not do enough to protect Alexavier. I think once you hear the first two episodes, you might agree with them. With that, let's get into Alexavier's story. Before I talk about Alexavier himself, I'll give some background on the parental figures in his life. His mother, Jenna Marie Anderson, was born on December 20, 1989. As a teenager, Jenna began getting into trouble. A 2007 article in the Lacrosse Tribune about female juvenile offenders mentioned then 17 year old Jenna by name, saying that when she was 14 she wanted to attend a party in Chicago, so she and a friend stole her sister's car and drove there. Of that incident, Jenna said, my sister.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Called and was freaking out because I'd never gotten in trouble before.

[Laine]

After that incident, she said, I stayed.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Out of trouble for a little bit, but then a friend slept over again and we took the car again.

[Laine]

That time Jenna was charged with felony grand theft auto, but the charge was reduced.

[Guest or Interviewee]

She said, they let me go real easy when I first got in the system.

[Laine]

However, she said they stopped going easy on her. As her rap sheet grew longer, she ran away from home and started using drugs and alcohol, eventually ending up in the La Crosse County Juvenile Detention center for using stolen checks. Fortunately, after this, Jenna stayed out of trouble for some time. Alexavier's father, Derek Lee Pedron, was born on March 15, 1990. He too has a criminal record and a history of substance abuse. Derek and Jenna were dating when, in early 2008, they became pregnant with their first child together, a daughter who I'll call AP and who was born in September of that year. In the meantime, Derek had a hard time keeping himself out of trouble while Jenna was pregnant. In July of 2008, he was charged with entry into a locked vehicle. When he ultimately pleaded guilty, he was sentenced to probation and related charges of theft of movable property under $2,500 and receiving stolen property under $2,500 were dismissed. Shortly afterward, Derek was charged with bail jumping, which in the state of Wisconsin is defined as being committed by a person who has been released from custody on bond and intentionally fails to comply with the terms of that bond. Derek ultimately pleaded guilty and he spent a few months in county jail after his probation for the entry into a locked vehicle. Conviction was revoked. Then In November of 2008, Derek was charged with disorderly conduct with the modifier of domestic abuse. This was far from the last time domestic abuse would factor into this family's lives. To this charge, Derek pleaded guilty and a related charge of attempted battery with a modifier of domestic abuse was read in but dismissed, which means the defendant can't be prosecuted for the charge, but the judge can consider the underlying conduct when sentencing. Due to this incident, a no contact order was issued, possibly for Jenna and Baby ap. Derek was also ordered not to drink or take controlled substances, not to go to bars or taverns, to complete a domestic violence assessment and any recommended treatment, to address sexual offender victimization through counseling and to perform 75 hours of community service. In July of 2009, Derek, by then 19 years old, and his 19 year old friend Dustin Barnes allegedly broke into three cars on the north side of La Crosse, Wisconsin, stealing a subwoofer speaker and some fireworks. Both were charged with two counts of theft of movable property under 2500 as well as charges of entry into a locked vehicle and criminal damage to property. Derek pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of movable property under 2,500 while Dustin pleaded guilty to one. For this crime, Derrick was sentenced to probation which was ultimately revoked, and he was sentenced to spend 30 days in county jail, which was combined with his previous sentences. Dustin ultimately spent almost three months in jail. Why do we care about Dustin? Well, his name will come up again soon enough, so put a pin in Dustin Barnes for now. Derek's criminal record continued to grow and grow over the years as he and Jenna continued their reportedly turbulent relationship. In 2010, Derek pleaded guilty to possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting or obstructing an officer. He was sentenced to 14 months of probation, random testing for alcohol and controlled substances, and 25 hours of community service. In 2011, Derek was charged again with disorderly conduct with a modifier of domestic abuse to which he pleaded guilty. He ended up spending a week in county jail later in the year. At the time he was charged, a no contact order was issued for Jenna, which she requested to be lifted. A couple of weeks later. In 2012, Derek was hit with 12 various charges from a traffic stop, including operating while intoxicated and several others in that incident. He ultimately pleaded guilty to operating with a prohibited alcohol content greater than 0.02 as a second offense with a modifier of repeater. His other charges were read in but dismissed. He served a couple weeks in county jail. Later in the year, he also pleaded guilty to two more counts of bail jumping and A charge of operating while revoked was dismissed but read in at some point. In the meanwhile, Jenna sadly suffered a miscarriage. Finally, on July 10, 2016, their son, Alexavier J. Pedron was born. He was a handsome little guy with blonde hair, big brown eyes and a big personality who went by several names, Alexavier, Alex and AJ by the time Alexavier came along, it's safe to say that Jenna and Derek's relationship and home life was less than stable and unfortunately things wouldn't improve from there. Now I'll introduce you to another key player in Alexavier's story. Unfortunately, Josie Marie Dyckman was born on March 5, 1992. So far I don't have any information about Josie's childhood or teenage years except that she and Alexavier's mom Jenna were friends in high school. In 2011, 19 year old Josie, who had a two year old son at the time, was dating and possibly living with 21 year old Dustin Michael Barnes. Yes, the same Dustin Barnes who was arrested in 2009 for breaking into three cars with Alexavier's father Derek Pedron. Dustin had a daughter who I'll call HT who was a year old at the time. In July of 2011, HT reportedly fell down the stairs and became dizzy and confused. At Gunderson Lutheran Medical center, Doctors found the 21 month old had suffered a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury. Josie told doctors that HT fell down the stairs, which she said had happened twice before. Although HT hadn't experienced injuries the first two times the falls happened, Josie explained, because her baby gate was broken and she didn't have the money to fix it. HT's injuries triggered a call to CPS who investigated and substantiated Josie for child neglect. According to a later CPS report, Josie was criminally charged with neglecting a child, but the charges were ultimately dismissed. HT fortunately was removed from the home and placed into foster care for about a year. Over the next couple of years, Josie was hit with a variety of financial crimes and judgments. In April of 2012, she was ordered to pay Marine Credit Union a little under eleven hundred dollars. In October of the same year, Joe Josie was charged with issuing worthless checks under $2,500. In January of 2013, Josie was charged with two counts of fraud against a financial institution between $500 and $10,000. After writing bad checks to several merchants. The same month, she was also ordered to pay Capital One Bank USA almost $900. Meanwhile, Dustin's daughter HT was returned from foster care in mid-2012 when right around the same time, Josie and Dustin welcomed their daughter together who I'll call JB at this time, Josie, Dustin, Josie's three year old son, Dustin's three year old daughter and their newborn daughter were living in the upstairs portion of the home occupied by Josie's mother Rebecca Ehlers and Becky's boyfriend after being returned from foster care. Fortunately, three year old HT was under the supervision of CPS. In January of 2013, a social worker reported that three year old HT was acting differently since being returned from foster care and had also lost both weight and hair. The social worker took HT to a doctor who found multiple old and new fractures on her hands and feet. One of her toes was fractured so severely it needed to be casted. The hand injuries were consistent with someone slamming a toilet seat down on HT's hands. HT told investigators that her dad and Josie hit her. Witnesses alleged the little girl was often barricaded in her room with her toys put up on a shelf out of her reach, forced to sit at the table for a long period of time if she didn't eat everything on her plate, forced to stand for timeouts for up to 90 minutes, and if she wet her pants, she was forced to sit on the adult toilet for up to 45 minutes at a time while holding her hands on her head or in the air so she wouldn't play in or drink the toilet water, which she would do because she was thirsty. And why was this child thirsty enough to drink from the toilet? Dustin's mother, Paula Hernandez, told police that Josie would only allow the little girl three drinks per day so she wouldn't wet her pants. Paula also said she reported this to the county. Josie's mom, Becky, who was at one point a registered nurse, told police that Josie and Dustin didn't interact with HTML. She said that when HT was forced to sit at the table for long periods of time, she would sometimes help sneak the girl's food to the dog so she could leave the table. Becky also said she had removed urine soaked mattresses from the home and that Dustin and Josie kept a potty in the girl's room. In the six months HT lived with her father and Josie after returning from foster care, she shrunk from the 85th to the 6th percentile for weight for her age. Two other young children in the home, both of whom were Josie's, were given preferential treatment when questioned by investigators. Josie claimed that HT was very overweight when she returned from foster care, which doesn't explain why they would then force her to sit at the table and finish every bite on her plate. Josie claimed they did not physically punish ht. Dustin told police HT was clumsy, had been acting weird and might be depressed. He denied forcing HT to sit at the table and said when she was given time out, it only lasted two or three minutes. He said because his daughter was overweight, they began portioning out her meals for her, adding that if she ate it all, she might get a little more. As for his girlfriend, Dustin claimed that.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Josie was a great mother who ran a perfect family. Police reports noted of his description, it was very unrealistic.

[Laine]

After a month long investigation and after CPS substantiated the allegations of neglect against them, In February of 2013, Josie and Dustin were arrested and charged with child neglect and causing mental harm to a child. They were accused of failing to get HT medical attention for broken bones and malnutrition. If convicted, Josie could face up to 18 and a half years in prison. Dustin, because of his previous felony convictions, could face up to 28 and a half years. Josie was released on bail, but she was apparently unbothered by the notion of keeping her nose clean. In June of 2013 she was charged with two felony counts of bail jumping, one misdemeanor count of bail jumping and one count of retail theft, intentionally taking under $500 after an incident involving Kohl's Department Store. She wasn't finished either. In August of that year, in the car Josie was driving, police found 57 grams of marijuana packaged into 40 bags as well as two digital scales. Josie was charged with multiple counts of bail jumping and she was also charged as party to a crime on a charge of manufacturing or delivering THC. Her boyfriend, 20 year old Mark Hellerud, was also arrested and charged with possession of THC and possession of drug paraphernalia, to which he eventually pleaded guilty, as well as possession with intent to distribute under 200 grams of THC, which was dismissed but read in I only mention Mark's name because he would be the father of Josie's third child. Less than a year later, Josie had pleaded not guilty, but she was scheduled to change her plea in court in early September of 2013. On the day she was scheduled, Josie evidently showed up to court high, so they pushed the date back. Finally, Josie pleaded guilty to neglecting a child as a party to a crime. Her charge of causing mental harm to a child as party to a crime was dismissed and read in. Thirteen other charges from Josie's previous cases were dismissed and read in during her brief plea hearing. I'm having a very hard time understanding why and how a three year old's fractured hands and feet yielded only neglect charges and not actual abuse. Dustin Barnes was sentenced to a staid three year prison sentence, meaning he would serve three years of probation for the child neglect case that would be served after he finished an eight year prison term for a probation violation from a 2009 case. At Dustin's sentencing hearing, his attorney, Eric Sanford told the court that Dustin made bad decisions because of drug addiction.

[Guest or Interviewee]

He was making poor choices because of his inability to see what was happening around him. There's a hundred things he could have done, but he just didn't because his judgment was clouded.

[Laine]

Prosecutor Emily Hynek said the problem wasn't drugs. After spending eight months in jail with forced sobriety, she said, Dustin still failed to grasp the seriousness of his crimes and let Josie control his life. He told her in a recorded jail phone call that he didn't want pictures of the kids, only good pictures of her, hynek said.

[Guest or Interviewee]

This is an individual who let his own child suffer to keep a female happy.

[Laine]

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Elliot Levine held up a photo of Dustin's daughter.

[Guest or Interviewee]

In the hospital, saying it should panic a parent to see this wasting away of a child in front of you. Your base instinct to protect your child just went out the window. You are lucky your daughter didn't die.

[Laine]

At her sentencing hearing In November of 2013, Josie faced up to six years in prison for her combined convictions after going to court high months earlier. By November, Josie was attending addiction support meetings, her defense attorney, Sean o' Neill, said.

[Guest or Interviewee]

She's staying clean and enjoying life and staying away from two things that are her downfall controlled substances and codependent relationships with destructive men.

[Laine]

O' Neill said the little girl suffered from a medical condition that could have contributed to her weight loss and hair loss. Although he admitted Josie neglected her medical.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Needs and punished her in totally inappropriate.

[Laine]

Ways, Assistant District Attorney Hynek said when.

[Guest or Interviewee]

A nurse asked HT how she got her owies, she said mommy and daddy hit.

[Laine]

HT's foster mom said the little girl was afraid to cry and often told the foster mom she wasn't naughty. Speaking on her daughter's behalf, Becky Ehlers said that when Josie had her first child at 17, she was a responsible mother, but when she neglected the girl, she suffered from postpartum depression.

[Guest or Interviewee]

She always loved children. I knew something was wrong. She's coming back to who she used to be.

[Laine]

Josie's aunt, Ann Ehlers said Josie's maltreatment.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Of the girl was done under a cloud of drugs.

[Laine]

However, prosecutor Hynek said drugs and PPD didn't explain why Josie neglected only her non biological child, the same child who had also suffered a traumatic injury at 21 months old after falling down the stairs under Josie's career. Josie apologized in court to ht, telling the judge she missed the girl and thought about her every day in a clear mindset.

[Guest or Interviewee]

I think about how I could let this happen. It makes me not want to touch drugs again.

[Laine]

In the end, Josie Marie Dykman was sentenced to just three years probation. She was ordered not to have contact with HT or the merchants she defrauded and stole from, to have contact with Dustin only as approved by her parole officer, to partake in no alcohol or controlled substances, to undergo random drug and alcohol testing, to pay restitution to the victims of her financial crimes, and to participate and successfully complete drug court. Lacrosse. Circuit Judge Dale Passell told Josie, I.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Had considered doing otherwise. Ms. Dyckman, you did things that made me very angry. It's hard to believe someone would do this to a 3 year old. It broke my heart when I read about her climbing out of her barricaded bedroom so she could play with other children.

[Laine]

Upon sentencing her to probation, the judge said she must serve a year on electronic monitoring to Josie.

[Guest or Interviewee]

He said he had precious little sympathy for you.

[Laine]

I can't help thinking that if Josie had been adequately charged for the abuse against her boyfriend's little girl, I might not be telling you this story today at all. I truly wish I wasn't. I'll pause here for a quick sponsor break. By the time Alexavier was born In July of 2016, Derek Pedron was already dating Josie Dykman. Josie had recently been through another CPS investigation, the reason for and results of which are unknown. She also successfully completed drug court. In March of 2017, Derek and Josie welcomed their first child together, a son. I'll call BP the following August. They had a daughter, I'll call ARP to differentiate her from Derek and Jenna's older daughter. AP Derek and Josie and their blended family of seven children struggled to make ends meet and they were frequently in contact with various social services programs in the various counties where they lived. Those social services included CPS. In January of 2019, a CPS report was filed against the family in La Crosse County. At the time, living in the home were 29 year old Derek, 27 year old Josie, Derek and Jenna's 10 year old daughter AP Josie's 10 year old son Ze, Josie and Dustin's 7 year old daughter JB, Josie and Mark's 5 year old son MH, 2 and a half year old Alexavier, Josie and Derek's 1 year old son BP and their 5 month old daughter ARP. The reporting party called La Crosse County Human Services with concerns that Alexavier was being neglected by Derek and Josie who he and his older sister AP visited on the weekends. During the week they lived with their mom Jenna and her boyfriend as well as their children from previous relationships aged 9, 6 and 4. The caller, who wasn't Jenna but apparently called at her behest, reported that when Jenna picked up the kids from their weekend visit with dad on Sunday, January 13, Josie said of Alexavier in Jenna's.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Presence, oh remember he hit his head on the wall.

[Laine]

According to the report, Alexavier had very.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Small abrasion like marks in three his forehead, the bridge of his nose and on his chin.

[Laine]

The marks on his forehead and nose.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Were the size of a pencil eraser.

[Laine]

And the one on his chin was even smaller.

[Guest or Interviewee]

He also had a slight bruise on the back of his right arm which runs horizontally and is 0.5 to 1 cm at its widest point and 0.5 cm high.

[Laine]

When the injuries were examined in the emergency room, Alexavier kept saying wall, wall, wall. AP told ER staff that she didn't like going to her dad's house because he and Josie often fought. Medical staff did not feel the injuries warranted filing a CPS report. The caller's worst fear, according to the report, was was that if neglect was.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Taking place, this could get worse and result in more significant injuries to Alexavier and or the other children.

[Laine]

When asked what they thought needed to happen, the caller said, I think mom.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Just wants it documented should it happen again. She's just protecting her kid and she's worried because of Josie's history.

[Laine]

The report described Alexavier as being vulnerable.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Due to age alone, he has no special needs and looks clean, health, healthy and well nourished under the section describe any present danger threats, including a description of possible or likely emergency exigent circumstances. The report stated there were no present danger threats.

[Laine]

The report was screened out as no.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Threatened, harm or maltreatment, recommending the family.

[Laine]

Be referred to the Community Response Program. Because of this, law enforcement was not notified of the complaint, which is standard. Law enforcement did get involved with the family, however, when on March 1, 2019, during a physical altercation, Derek attempted to strangle Josie and slammed her head against the floor causing a traumatic brain injury. Three days later, Derek was charged with strangulation and suffocation, misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct, all with the modifier of domestic abuse. A no contact order was obtained for Josie, but at her request it was lifted a week later. She and Derek went right back to their relationship, but because of his charges.

[Guest or Interviewee]

They couldn't return to the house where the attack occurred, so they were staying.

[Laine]

In various other places causing upheaval for the children. Due to her brain trauma from this incident, Josie applied for and was approved for ssi. Derek later pleaded guilty to his battery charge and his other charges relating to the incident were dismissed but read in. He was sentenced to 12 months probation but had to submit to random testing for alcohol and controlled substances. In September of 2019, they took the concept of a blended family even further when Derek and Josie moved to nearby Joplin, Missouri with Jenna Love, formerly Jenna Anderson, Derek's ex, along with their herd of children. Except for 5 year old MH who stayed in Wisconsin with his father Mark Hellerud, the plan was for the adults to co parent their large brood together. The household was far from the Brady Bunch. However, after about a week of living together in the home on South Iowa Avenue, Jenna reportedly attacked Josie with a baseball bat, sending her to the hospital with a cut on her head. Unfortunately, all of the kids were home at the time of the altercation and three of them who were reportedly hiding under a bed, witnessed the attack. One of them was Derek and Josie's two year old, but the two older children were referred to outpatient therapy after the experience. At the end of October of 2019, a CPS case note indicated that Jenna's mother, Cheryl Anderson, had stated that AP and Alexavier were living with her and.

[Guest or Interviewee]

She has a notarized form to indicate that she is primarily responsible. Also indicates that she is in process of getting legal guardianship for these children.

[Laine]

I wasn't able to find any court records indicating that Cheryl officially filed for guardianship of the kids, so so I'm not sure what happened with that process. On October 30, 2019, while the homeless family was staying temporarily in Stoddard, Wisconsin, CPS received another report about the family. The caller expressed multiple concerns including lack of supervision of the children, possible sexual behaviors between siblings, and food insecurity. The reporter stated that two days before, while staying with Josie's mother Becky, one of the older children found 3 year old Alexavier lying on his younger brother, both of them partially undressed. When the older child asked what they were doing. Alexavier said he didn't know. Further, the same night a family member was giving Alexavier a bath, during which she saw him rubbing a toy on his genitals. Josie claimed she was worried about Alexavier's possible sexual behaviors, saying that when he lived with his mom, she moved around a lot and dated several guys. Sexualized behaviors in children can be highly concerning for witnessing sexual acts or being sexually abused, although there doesn't seem to be any other indication anywhere that Alexavier displayed these behaviors at any other time. The caller indicated to CPS that because of her two brain traumas, Josie's head.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Is so messed up and she was.

[Laine]

Not capable of caring for seven children.

[Guest or Interviewee]

The caller said Josie needs help and the kids need stability.

[Laine]

The report also stated parents leave all.

[Guest or Interviewee]

The children indoors unattended while they are outside smoking. The children are uprooted frequently and in the process lose their clothes and belongings and the school agers miss school. Josie, Derek and their children are homeless and neither adult works. Josie receives ssdi. However, they are on a housing list but Derek has a DV felony so this will be challenging.

[Laine]

When they were babysitting someone's 8 month old baby at Becky's house, the caller said Josie and Derek went outside to smoke and the unattended baby fell off the couch. Despite all of these concerns, this report.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Also said there were no present danger threats and no impending threats to child safety. It did note that there are multiple people who are worried for Josie and these children. There are multiple complicating factors in the report and the family appears to need assistance. However, currently there are not grounds and does not rise to CPS intervention. The family will be referred to the Community Response Program for determination of services.

[Laine]

Five days later, on November 4, 2019, La Crosse County CPS received a call alleging threatened, abuse or neglect and a lack of necessary care toward all seven children in the home. By that time, the family was staying in the La Crosse home of Derek's mother, Brenda McCormick. The report said it was possible that AP and Alexavier were living with their maternal grandmother Cheryl. The caller reported their concern that the family had moved seven times in the past year, most recently in September when Derek, Josie and six of their kids moved to Joplin, Missouri to live with Jenna, which didn't end well. The caller detailed the baseball bat attack and how three of the children witnessed it. Around Oct. 8, the caller said Derek, Josie and the six kids returned to Wisconsin. They also reported that every time the family moved they left behind all of their clothes, toys and other belongings forcing family members to buy new wardrobes for the children every time they moved up till the day before. The report stated the family was staying with Josie's mom Becky, who had recently told the couple that they would need to help pay expenses while staying with her. This apparently didn't go over well. On November 3, the report stated Josie and Derek took their youngest kids grocery.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Shopping and returned very agitated. Upon their return, Josie had an attitude.

[Laine]

And Derek started taunting Becky and said to her, you. Josie made Derek's 11 year old daughter AP Follow Becky around recording video on a phone. Josie then approached her own 7 year old daughter JB and said about Becky.

[Guest or Interviewee]

She'S trying to kill me. Do you want mom or this psycho bitch?

[Laine]

Josie and Derek were yelling at the kids to pack up their belongings and all of the kids were crying as the family left Becky's home. Come to think of it, it's not really all that shocking that these two kept finding themselves homeless. Once again, this report was screened out as there were no services available to the family from La Crosse County Family and Children's Services that the parents couldn't get on their own through the community. Two months later, Josie contacted a state agency saying she was in desperate need of food for her and her family. They added her to the food bag program, making sure they would get bags of food. They also received several gas cards to help with the family's transportation costs for medical appointments and for school. This was a common occurrence. They received quite a bit of funding, food, clothing and other assistance through the county. In February of 2020, Josie met with a social worker at a community center, updating the worker on recent medical appointments and how she felt about her brain injuries. She said she was struggling to accept.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Her new normal and the reality of what the rest of her life may.

[Laine]

Be like and that she feared Derek.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Will try to kill me.

[Laine]

She said she worried about the kids and how they were responding to the domestic violence they had seen go on between the adults and their lives. She didn't however, express any intention of leaving Derek. On March 11, 2020, the older children missed school teachers at Hinchen Elementary School in La Crosse, where the kids had attended throughout all of their many moves had heard. The kids were taken into custody the night before by cps. La Crosse County CPS hadn't taken them, but there was speculation it could have taken place in nearby Houston County, Minnesota. According to a report from La Crosse County Family Collaborative, or lafc. They contacted Minnesota CPS and confirmed the agency had removed the children for a 72 hour hold about this incident. Josie later complained to her social worker that she was frustrated with the CPS process and felt she was treated unfairly. She said the kids would be returned the next day and that CPS found nothing, but CPS indicated they would continue to be involved with the family for whatever that was worth. Now I'll take another quick break to hear from my sponsors. After the baseball bat attack in 2019, things went downhill for Alexavier's mom, Jenna Love. On April 30, 2020, 30 year old Jenna, along with three friends in their 20s, was arrested after a disturbance was reported near Highway 10 in Mondovi, Wisconsin. A person had been assaulted with a tire iron and then hit with a vehicle. The news article stated that additional charges were pending related to methamphetamine and heroin, which authorities believed were contributing factors in the attack. Jenna was charged with substantial battery intending bodily harm as party to a crime to which she ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay restitution and court fees totaling almost $5,000. Jenna was charged a few days later with operating with a restricted controlled substance, to which she pleaded no contest and was ordered to complete an intoxicated driver assessment and safety plan as well as to pay fines of just under $1,000. Then in June of 2020, Jenna was arrested on charges of second degree assault and armed criminal action in Missouri for attacking Josie the previous November. She initially pleaded not guilty and was held on no bond. According to police, Jenna told them she and Josie got into an argument when Josie accused her of using drugs and threatened to take her kids away. Jenna said the argument escalated into a physical altercation during which she hit Josie with a baseball bat. That September, a plea deal with the State of Missouri allowed Jenna to plead guilty to a charge of assault in the second degree, a Class D felony. Her charge of armed criminal action was dismissed. In November. She was sentenced to five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. She would serve about half of her sentence. AP and Alexavier were living with their Grandma Cheryl, but during the summer of 2021, Derek insisted on taking Alexavier back into his care. Slowly but surely, Derek and Josie reportedly began alienating Jenna's family. Alexavier was allowed to be part of his Uncle Justin and Aunt Annie's wedding in October of 2021, but Alexavier wasn't even allowed to stay for the entire entire wedding for a while. The only member of the family who had any contact with Alexavier was his older sister AP, who spoke with him regularly on FaceTime. In November of 2021 AP and her grandma Cheryl were meeting with an unnamed mandatory reporter at school to discuss attendance issues when AP brought up a number of concerns about her brother, which triggered another Child Welfare Services report. AP said that she had known Josie for a long time and had concerns about her because of AP's past experiences with as well as things she'd heard about Josie, such as her past child neglect charges. AP told the reporting party that she's heard that Josie smacks Alexavier in the face and hits him. She also reported that once Josie made Alexavier drink his own spit when he was thirsty. When I hear that, the very first thing that comes to mind is the way Josie would refuse to give her ex boyfriend Dustin's daughter HT more than three drinks a day. A year later, Derek and Josie's relationship was still apparently going strong, at least as far as the ongoing domestic abuse went. On November 14, 2022, Derek was arrested and charged once again with felony strangulation and suffocation and misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct with a modifier of domestic abuse. Yet again. A no contact order was taken out for Josie, but yet again, within a week she requested it to be removed. The state objected this time and the no contact order remained in place for this offense. Derek currently has a plea hearing scheduled to take place at 9:00am on August 11, 2023. At the time, the family was living together in a three bedroom rental house at W5512 County Road OS, which depending on the source, is located in either Madeiri or Onalaska, Wisconsin. Because of the no contact order, Derek wasn't allowed to return there, so he was staying at an address in West Salem, Wisconsin. A report for services stated that the reporter was concerned after Derek and Josie got into the physical altercation that resulted in Derek's criminal charges. The caller worried that Alexavier had been present during the incident, saying they initially read in the police report that he was, but they later admitted they did not have the report in hand. The reporter also shared that Derek hadn't been providing any updates to Jenna, who was in prison in Missouri, nor would he allow visitation with Jena's relatives. The reporter requested someone check on Alexavier to ensure his safety. Like many previous reports, this one was screened out because the reporting party had.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Diminished credibility based on initially saying they.

[Laine]

Had the police report when they did not, based simply on this family's history of domestic violence and past CPS involvement. That may be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. In January of 2023 Josie met with social workers regarding the children's school attendance. The same month, Alexavier suffered a severe and highly suspicious injury, a fractured femur. In the early afternoon of January 16, 2023, a social worker was called to Mayo Hospital in Minnesota where she met with Josie, Derek and three children, one of whom was Alexavier, who was lying in the bed wearing only a pull up diaper with his leg wrapped up. The other two kids were coloring. When the worker introduced herself, Josie said this was the exact reason they went to Mayo and not Gunderson Hospital because she felt Gunderson was more likely to contact cps. She went on to complain that she felt CPS only opened a case over this injury due to her past. When asked about the timeline of the injury, Josie said that Alexavier fell on ice at school on Friday, although she said he seemed fine for the rest of the day. Then on Sunday morning, she said she asked the kids to take their clothes to the basement and Alexavier fell down the stairs. Alexavier said he was carrying his PJs and moving too slowly, so his little sister Arp pushed him down the stairs. Josie said she heard a loud noise and ran over to the children, finding Alexavier crying, but with ice and pain medication he was able to walk. The same day, she said they went to a birthday party where Alexavier mostly sat but did engage with other children. The next morning, when Alexavier Woke up at 11am, Josie said he was in more pain and his leg was swollen. Josie called Derek at work and asked him to bring the van home so she could take Alexavier to the hospital. The social worker told Josie that if Alexavier had fractured his femur from falling down the stairs, there was no way he could have walked on it. Asking if anything else happened to the leg after the fall, which Josie denied. Near the end of the meeting with the social worker, Josie's mother, Becky, showed up and told Alexavier she loved him, then asked the social worker to keep the family together because last time CPS got involved, they didn't. The social worker set up a safety plan that involved Becky checking in on the kids on a regular basis. At this point, Alexavier was transferred to Gunderson Hospital. The following day, on January 17, orthopedics specialists reviewed documentation as well as X rays and according to CPS documentation, did not feel Alexavier's injury was the result of maltreatment, but instead of accidental trauma. Even so, Josie was by this time ccing her attorney Sean o' Neill on emails between herself and social workers. Also on January 17, another social worker met with the family at Gunderson. Alexavier's leg was casted and no surgery was required. When the social worker made a comment about all of the children in the house and asked how Derek and Josie managed, they laughed. Derek expressed concern about custody when Jenna was released from prison in March. The social worker also talked to Alexavier, presumably alone. When asked about discipline, he said if he was told to stop doing something, he would get yelled at or put in timeout and sometimes his dad would spank him. Before the social worker left, the parents agreed to a 60 day CPS case involving home visits and check ins to see how the family was doing and how Alexavier was healing. Two days later, the CPS caseworker received a medical note from Dr. Katie Johnson, a child abuse pediatric specialist at Mayo Hospital, who said in her opinion Alexavier's femur fracture was consistent with the fall described and that no medical follow up related to the concern for non accidental trauma was necessary. Other medical experts would later disagree about the injury's accidental nature. In late January, according to Josie, the family came down with COVID by turns, so they had to miss some scheduled visits with social workers. Finally, on January 26, 2023, a social worker conducted a home visit with the family. The report described the home as cluttered with plenty of food, clothing, toys and basic items for the children's care. All of the children appeared well cared for, if rambunctious and inclined to rough play. Case notes indicated that Alexavier shared a room with his younger brother and Josie's oldest son, but since his injury he was staying in Josie's room because he kept trying to walk despite the cast, so they wanted to make sure he didn't walk on it. He was using a walker with wheels to get around, but he hadn't been back to school yet because of COVID moving through the family member by member. The caseworker wrote.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Alexavier was on the couch when this writer arrived and was talkative and happy. He showed that his cast had been signed by his family and he was proud to show it off. Alex shared that he is doing well and has been watching movies. He stated that he was feeling better and excited to be starting back to school on Monday.

[Laine]

During the visit, Josie expressed anxiety that Mayo Hospital had not accurately reported what Alexavier told them. She told the social worker that she wanted the information changed so it was accurate. She also asked why there was a CPS investigation if the hospital determined the injury was accidental, which the reporter answered by saying the agency didn't have that determination when the investigation was started, and because an investigation was opened, it needed to be properly completed, the caseworker wrote.

[Guest or Interviewee]

Josie seemed irritated by this response.

[Laine]

A little over two weeks later, the little boy at the center of that supposedly unnecessary CPS investigation would be dead. My sources for this episode court documents CPS reports the Lacrosse Tribune News 8000 GoFundMe News 19 WXOW News 18 WQOW Penicon, the Joplin Globe justice for Alexavier on Facebook and TikTok, the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website, the Missouri case.net portal and family members of Alexavier. That's it for part one of Alexavier's story. Join me next time for part two. If you like the show, please follow or subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Spreaker, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast listening app. And please leave me a five star rating and a positive review on your favorite podcast platform. Visit the website at sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com you can support the show by visiting patreon.com stlcpod where you can become a patron for rewards ranging from a shout out by name on the show to bonus content and exclusive gifts. You can also support the show at ko-fi.com stlcpod Follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram at Suffer the Little Children Pod and on TikTok tlcpod. View photos Related to today's episode on Facebook. For more stories like the one you heard today, visit sufferthelittlechildrenblog.com this podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited and produced by Lane Intro Theme music is by Dreamnote Music and all music for the show is licensed from audiojungle.net for more information about preventing or reporting Child Abuse, visit childhelp.org or call your area's Child Abuse Hotline. And remember, if you see something, say something.