SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Emotions ran high in the Board of Supervisors chambers Thursday as Santa Clara County officials gathered for a meeting to talk about why children continue dying in foster care despite reforms and policy changes aimed at protecting vulnerable children. Supervisors fired o ff scathing critiques of the county's Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS), the agency responsible for placing a 2-year-old boy, Jaxon, in a foster home in San Jose where he was allegedly abused and murdered. Police officers found Jaxon unconscious in his crib on Easter Sunday. Prosecutors said the killer was a 17-year-old boy who was Jaxon's foster brother and biological cousin. Ten county employees have been placed on administrative leave, county executive James Williams announced, while investigators work to find who within the child welfare system failed to protect Jaxon. DFCS' policies and practices are also being heavily reviewed. Jaxon is seen in a family photo. Every interaction involving Jaxon during his time in foster case will be reviewed by investigators, Williams said. "Depending on the findings of our investigation, staff may face disciplinary action up to and including termination," he said. During Thursday's Children, Seniors, and Families Committee meeting, supervisors expressed anger that a tragedy like the "Baby Jaxon" case could happen even after DFCS was placed under state-oversight in response to the 2023 death of three-month-old Phoenix Castro.  County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas asked child welfare officials a grim question that was answered by silence. Arenas asked, "I am doubting the leadership that is currently in place ... you all tell me, how many children could die under your leadership and you still have a job? You all seem to think you are going to give your sorrow to the families. But where is your responsibility and your accountability? These are lives. These are children's lives. Your work so far has kept children in places where children continue to be abused. I don't mince words. If you think you can continue to have a job, regardless of the deaths that fall at your feet, then maybe the question is whether this is the right county for you to serve." A memorial for Jaxon is seen outside Juvenile Hall in San Jose on April 21, 2026. (KRON4 Photo) DFCS operates a 24/7 child abuse reporting center that receives more than 25,000 call a year. The agency is responsible for protecting children from abuse and neglect, and supporting families through intervention services. Jaxon's mother died last summer, family members said. In February, DFCS placed Jaxon in a foster home on Otono Court to live with the teenager and the teen’s mother. The teen’s mother is a cousin of Jaxon’s father, family members said. Jaxon's foster mother has a "concerning criminal history," and she did not cooperate with police following the toddler's death, according to the San Jose Police Department. Arenas said the Jaxon case exposed the agency's overzealous need to reunite families. "When it comes to child welfare systems in this county, the pendulum swung too far. We were prioritizing family preservation over child safety," she told reporters at a news conference. Jaxon plays with a pumpkin. (Family photo) Prosecutors said Jaxon had been repeatedly assaulted, sexually and physically, since he was placed in the foster home. When police officers found Jaxon, his body was covered in "suspicious traumatic injuries," a SJPD spokesperson said. In 2023, county leaders pledged to fix its “broken” system after the death of Phoenix Castro, an infant who was poisoned by fentanyl while living with drug-addicted parents in San Jose. She was still too young to know how to crawl. That same year, a 6-year-old San Jose boy, Jordan Cam Walker, was stabbed to death at home and his uncle was charged with murder. "(Jaxon) is the third child in the last couple of years under the care and custody of the Department of Family and Children’s Services who has been murdered. Enough. Enough. Change needs to come," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said at a news conference earlier this week. Prosecutors charged Jaxon's foster brother with murder and rape. He recently turned 18, and Rosen is fighting to transfer the case from juvenile court to adult court. A judge will decide this summer whether the teen will stand trial as an adult, or remain in the juvenile court system. KRON4 is not naming the murder suspect because he was a juvenile when the alleged crimes occurred. His mother was arrested and released from jail without charges. Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas speaks to reporters on April 23, 2026. (KRON4) Supervisor Arenas asked leaders at Thursday's meeting to think about their own children when they were 2-years-old. "Every time you come home, you are the best thing that happened to them, and they are endlessly happy to see you." Memorial held for Jaxon outside Juvenile Hall in San Jose Arenas broke down into tears, saying, "We all should be infuriated, angry, and upset that our system produced this result." The California Department of Social Services is conducting an independent investigation into Jaxon's death. Rosen said his office will also investigate to determine if there are more people who were criminally responsible for the toddler's death. ...read more read less