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Jordan William Thompson was just shy of two years old when his mother, Bernice Swales, left him in the care of her then-boyfriend to run errands on a Thursday afternoon back in March 2005.
Upon returning home, Swales found young Jordan unresponsive in the living room.
In a desperate attempt to save him, she rushed him across the street to Singleton Base Hospital, where sadly, efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful.
The initial report to the police indicated that the toddler had been discovered face down in the bathtub. However, a subsequent autopsy revealed a different story: Jordan’s system contained a fatal dose of a prescription antidepressant.
Police were told the little boy had been found face down in the bathtub, but a post-mortem later found a lethal dose of a prescription medication used to treat depression was in his system.
Despite a $100,000 reward announcement in 2015, no person has ever been convicted over Jordan’s death, but police continue to treat the incident as suspicious.
Investigators are now hopeful that the $500,000 reward from the NSW Government will encourage someone to come forward with information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
“I would firstly like to thank the NSW government in granting this reward to assist the police who are investigating the death of my son, Jordan Thompson,” Swales said.
“I firmly believe there are members of the community who possess vital information in relation to the death of my son and these persons have kept this secret for over twenty years for whatever reason.
“Jordan’s father, Paul Thompson, passed away last year and never got a chance to see justice. I am hoping this reward will reach the conscience of a person in the community who has not previously come forward so I can obtain justice and some form of closure.”
Lead investigator of the case, Detective Inspector Paul Quigg, welcomed the reward.
“I have led this investigation for more than twenty years and believe that there are members of community who have information about the death of Jordan,” he said.
“Today we are appealing to anyone with information on Jordan’s death to come forward and assist investigators. If you have any information that may help us, please do the right thing, and come forward. His family deserves answers and need to obtain closure in this matter.”
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley urged those with information to come forward.
“This is a heartbreaking case. Jordan was just 21 months old when his life was tragically cut short and his family has lived with unanswered questions for two decades,” she said.
“Jordan’s loved ones deserve answers, and the community deserves to see justice served. If you know something, no matter how small it may seem, now is the time to speak up.”
The reward of up to $500,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Jordan’s death.