PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Placerville police have arrested and charged a father and step-mother for the death of Roman Lopez, 11, who was reported missing on Jan. 11, 2020.
The father, Jordan Piper, 36, and step-mother, Lindsey Piper, 38, have been charged with multiple criminal counts of child abuse, poisoning and torture.
“Our community has been patiently waiting for this day,” Placerville Mayor Dennis Thomas said.
Roman was reported missing from his Placerville home on Jan. 11, 2020, where his family had just moved. He was found dead a short time later. Roman's family on his mother's side released a statement thanking Placerville Police and other law enforcement for helping them get closure.
"The announcement of the arrests of Jordan and Lindsey Piper has brought feelings of immeasurable relief to Roman's family," the statement read. "However, they still carry the sadness of losing Roman, now in measured depths."
Police initially investigated the case as a suspicious death. In the initial search of the family's home, police did not find anything, but in a second search of the home, investigators "located Roman deceased inside a storage bin in the basement," according to a press release.
This is a case that shook the community of Placerville to its core and they've been waiting for answers for over a year. But after police made their two arrests and unveiled more details surrounding Roman's death, many folks across the community are now breathing a major sigh of relief.
"The family, I mean, all of us, we're so relieved, and that might be an understatement, really," Kristin Jabs-Ellenburg, a family spokesperson for Roman's biological mom said.
More than a year has passed since 11-year-old Roman Lopez was reported missing and was later found dead on the same day.
Jabs-Ellenburg says this, is the day they've been waiting for.
"Just waiting for this day, we knew it would come, really glad it did!" she said. "So it's been a really rough emotional year for pretty much everybody."
She said many of the gruesome details shared by police on Thursday like how he was found in a storage bin, severely malnourished and dehydrated at his time of death, were details the family already knew about, but police say, they just couldn't share at the time in order to protect the integrity of the case.
"I kept telling everyone, I told so many people, do you want it done quickly or do you want it done right? And every time, they said oh yeah we want it done right so that the people responsible are held responsible," she said.
And neighbors like Kristen Nale, who walk by the home where it all happened, every single day, are also breathing a sigh of relief after a year with no answers.
"All kinds of questions and no answers, and every small town people talk but it's just good to get some conclusion now, feels really good," Nale said.
City councilman and former Mayor Michael Saragosa had a front row seat to daily reminders of this tragedy, living directly across the street.
"When I would go out the door in the morning, I would see the candles, the teddy bears and the balloons that people had left for Roman right there," Saragosa said.
And even though police kept their lips tightly sealed on this case, he says this was never on the back burner.
"I just want everyone to know that there wasn't a day that went by last year that our chief and our officers weren't working on this case," he said. "Literally every single day they were working on this case to get to this point today."
When asked why police took so long to notify the public about why they kept where Roman was found confidential, Placerville Police Chief Joseph Wren said, "There were certain aspects of where he was located and the manner in which he was located that we didn't want to put out to the public at the time. We wanted to keep it within the investigative team."
Wren mentioned that many times throughout the investigation they found there were more questions to be answered after finding something out about the case.
An autopsy of Roman found "no obvious trauma," but found he was severely malnourished and dehydrated at the time of the death. According to the press release, the case involved a lot of analysis of forensic evidence. Investigators contacted multiple agencies across other states about the family, including child protective services, medical providers and other law enforcement agencies, to determine what could have happened to Roman.
After meeting with the El Dorado County District Attorney, police were able to arrest and charge Jordan and Lindsey Piper.
"The arrests of Jordan and Lindsey Piper are certainly significant," the family statement said. "But this is only the beginning of a journey that will lead to Roman receiving the justice he so richly deserves."
Jordan and Lindsay Piper were arrested in Calaveras County where they had been staying, but police say they are expected to transferred back to El Dorado County to start the court process.
READ MORE ON THE CASE OF ROMAN LOPEZ FROM ABC10:
- Mother of 11-year-old boy found dead tells mourners 'cherish loved ones, forgive often, and love with all your heart'
- Placerville police explain lack of details on 11-year-old’s death
- 'It just doesn't feel real' | Mother of 11-year-old found dead in Placerville pleads for answers
- Michigan woman whose daughters lived with Placerville boy found dead says he 'was such a good boy'
- 'No public safety threat' after body of missing 11-year-old boy found in Placerville, police say | UPDATE
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