A San Jose mother and stepfather were arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon on felony child neglect charges following the May death of 8-year-old Aurora Williams. Gabrielle Hanson, Aurora’s mother, and Jacob Randolph, her stepfather, also face several misdemeanor child endangerment charges related to the well-being of six other children in their home.
Aurora died in May after an asthma attack. The Santa Clara County Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Michelle Jorden, later ruled her death a homicide caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain due to severe asthma, stating that medical neglect was a significant condition in her death.
Police officers and detectives who searched the East San Jose home on Lancelot Lane in May described finding every room unkempt and in disarray, with a severe cockroach and insect infestation, a pungent acidic odor of urine and animal fecal matter, and visible mold throughout the residence, according to a police investigative summary. District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated that Aurora and her siblings were living in a home with unsanitary conditions, two parents who were not providing enough care or food, and a sexual predator.
Also charged Tuesday was Gabrielle Hanson’s brother, Jonathan Hanson, who faces two felony counts of sexual assault of a minor. Another child in the home was reportedly sexually assaulted by him between ages 11 and 15.
District Attorney Rosen has called Aurora’s death “another urgent warning” about children in danger in Santa Clara County. He announced that his office is exploring a new blueprint that would involve the District Attorney’s office and other county officials in a more direct, tangible, and collaborative role in child and family matters. This plan aims to create a team of high-ranking specialists from various agencies to jointly address the safety of the county's most vulnerable children.
Aurora is among several children to die while their safety was being monitored by the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS). The department has faced intense scrutiny and state intervention due to a series of deaths in recent years.
Santa Clara County’s child welfare system has been under state oversight by the California Department of Social Services since 2023, following the overdose death of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker. This state oversight continued after the death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez in April. Jaxon, a special needs toddler, died after being placed in a relative’s home by the county child welfare department despite several red flags, including a child endangerment conviction on the relative’s record. Jaxon’s death led to the firing of social workers, internal reviews, and another round of state review.
Last month, state investigators with the California Department of Social Services found significant systemic gaps in documentation and timeliness across required emergency placement procedures within the county, with only 10% of emergency placements complying with state law. They also found that roughly half of background checks to determine if foster parents were safe caretakers were conducted only after children were placed in their care, and that social workers often did not include evidence of criminal records when reviewing potential foster parents and extended family members.
In Aurora’s case, police said there were 12 reports to the child welfare department dating back to 2022. These reports indicated that school personnel and medical providers had repeatedly expressed concerns regarding unsanitary living conditions, inadequate supervision, irregular school attendance, and inconsistent medical follow-up. Despite these reports, DFCS records obtained from the county show that in at least four instances since September 2023, social workers visiting the home and interviewing the parents and Aurora concluded that reports of neglect or abuse were unfounded or inconclusive. Similar determinations were made regarding other children in the home since that time.
During Tuesday’s court hearing, Judge Kelley Paul allowed Gabrielle Hanson and Jacob Randolph to be released, with criminal protective orders preventing them from seeing their children, who were removed from the home after Aurora’s death. They are also prohibited from supervising or caring for any other children. Jonathan Hanson was kept in custody without bail. Deputy District Attorney Morgan Willis argued against Gabrielle Hanson’s release, alleging she showed “continual disregard” for Aurora. Hanson’s attorney, Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews, objected to this, stating that prosecutors were “preying on emotion in a very serious and tragic case.” Hanson and Randolph are scheduled to return to court on November 20.
