- Jordan Taylor, 28, faces multiple felony charges, including child torture and abuse.
- Authorities began investigating after a 3-year-old boy was hospitalized with hypothermia.
- Taylor allegedly forced children to practice martial arts on each other and cold showers as punishment.
BLANDING, San Juan County — A southern Utah man is accused of making a young girl practice martial arts on her 3-year-old brother and then punishing the children with cold showers or forcing them to do squats if they cried.
Jordan Taylor, 28, was charged Thursday in 7th District Court with aggravated child abuse and child torture, first-degree felonies; kidnapping, a second-degree felony; domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony; child abuse and reckless endangerment, class A misdemeanors; and unlawful detention of a minor, a class B misdemeanor.
The investigation began April 22 when police were called to Primary Children's Hospital, where "a young child, whose age was approximately 3 years old, was suffering from hypothermia and exhibited bruising across his entire body," according to charging documents.
The boy's mother claimed he had "slipped and fallen in the bathtub while she was showering him," and he hit his head on the side of the bathtub, the charges state. "The mother stated that the other injuries on the child were from him wrestling with his 6-year-old sister and practicing Muay Thai and kicking."
But investigators noted that the bruising around the boy's wrists appeared as though "he was tied down," and her story about how he got hypothermia wasn't adding up, according to the charges.
When Taylor was questioned, he was asked about the punishment of the children in the home.
"Jordan stated that the children would have to do squats, planks, or wall sits if they got into trouble. He said they most often got in trouble for stealing treats or taking candy when they were not supposed to. He informed us that these punishments were his idea," the charges state.
Taylor is described in court documents as the mother's "boyfriend," but the 6-year-old girl referred to him as "her dad."
When the girl was interviewed by the Children's Justice Center, she said Taylor would teach her and her brother Muay Thai, a form of boxing that includes both punching and kicking.
"The 6-year-old then demonstrated various punches and kicks, stating that she would perform these on the 3-year-old victim. She further stated that her dad, Jordan, instructed her to engage in these actions against the 3-year-old. She explained that if they cried during these sessions, they would be placed in 'time out.' She described these timeouts as being put into a cold shower or being made to place their head against a wall, perform squats, or do planks. She added that if they continued to cry during these timeouts, additional time would be added," according to the charges.
When asked where her mother was during this time, she said that when her brother cries, "it hurts her mother's head, and she usually puts headphones on. This is when Jordan would put her brother into the cold shower," the charges state.
One time, the sister said Taylor "wrapped tape around his mouth and forced him to perform air squats for an unspecified duration. She also recounted another instance where her dad made the male victim do air squats in the middle of the night," according to the charges.
When police went to the residence, they found "the fridge and freezer were shut and locked with a lock," and the sister told investigators about how her brother would "steal cake in the middle of the night and eating it under his covers," the charges state.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child's mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
