Failed by the System: Jordyn Dumont

Jordyn Ann Dumont was born on 7 September, 2012, to Joshua Kinnett and Jaylene Dumont, who had met in Hawaii the previous year. Joshua remembered his daughter as full of life and energy, a little girl who loved colouring, painting, and blowing bubbles. Her mornings were spent watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and she had watched her favourite movie, Hotel Transylvania, with her father at least 200 times.

The relationship between Joshua and Jaylene was unstable, and it deteriorated further when Jaylene met William Joseph McCullen while working at a gas station. McCullen, who worked for a concrete company, told his sister Crystal that he had found the love of his life. The couple moved together to a home on Bess Town Road in Bessemer City – a property McCullen had inherited with his sister. In 2015, Jaylene and McCullen had a daughter together named Angel.

At approximately 3:30PM on 15 August, 2016, 25-year-old William McCullen called 911 to report that three-year-old Jordyn was missing.¹ McCullen explained that he had put Jordyn down for a nap and fallen asleep himself. When he awoke, the front door was wide open and Jordyn was nowhere to be found. Jaylene had left for work early that morning, leaving McCullen to care for both Jordyn and one-year-old Angel.

During the 911 call, the operator asked McCullen to check under beds and throughout the house. After searching for just 30 seconds, he returned to the phone and confirmed Jordyn was gone. When responding officers arrived, they were shocked to learn that McCullen hadn’t even contacted Jaylene to inform her that her daughter was missing.

A massive search operation was launched, involving Highway Patrol helicopters, fire and rescue crews, and numerous community volunteers. Jordyn was described as standing 3 feet 2 inches tall with a distinctive birthmark shaped like Hawaii. McCullen said she had been wearing jean shorts and a Mickey or Minnie Mouse t-shirt when he put her down for her nap.

When investigators entered the family home, they were immediately struck by the conditions. Officer Christopher McAulay recalled a strong odour of faecal matter, rotten meat, and spoiled milk permeating the air. The bathroom was filthy, and when they searched Jordyn’s bedroom, they found blood smeared across the walls.² When questioned about the blood, McCullen claimed it belonged to either him or Jaylene, not Jordyn.

During questioning at the police station, McCullen made cryptic comments that raised suspicions. “I hope you find it,” he said, refusing to elaborate further. Investigators noticed scratches on his legs that appeared consistent with moving through brush. It was only while at the station that McCullen finally called Jaylene to inform her that her daughter was missing.

As darkness fell, the search was suspended and resumed at dawn the next day. The community turned out in large numbers to help search for Jordyn. Around 11AM, officers moved toward wooded areas approximately 500 feet from the family home. One officer noticed something unnatural – broken tree limbs and dry leaves piled on the ground with black cloth visible underneath. A white sock with bright-coloured stripes protruded from the pile, covered with flies.

Using a stick to investigate, the officer discovered a small hole dug into the ground. Inside, wrapped in a fitted black sheet, was Jordyn’s lifeless body.³ She was fully clothed in a long-sleeve shirt reading “Best Big Sister,” blue jeans, and socks.

The medical examiner’s autopsy revealed that Jordyn had died from blunt force trauma. She had suffered at least 10 contusions to her chest and abdomen, six to her right arm, and 14 to her left arm. The blows to her stomach had been so forceful they caused internal bleeding and organ damage. There was bleeding between her skull and scalp, and vomit was found in her mouth and nose.⁴ She had died within 24 to 36 hours before her body was discovered.

Shortly after Jordyn’s body was found, investigators went to arrest McCullen but couldn’t locate him. Two hours later, they found him in the woods without shoes, claiming he had slept there overnight. After his arrest for first-degree murder, McCullen requested to speak with investigators and made a full confession ⁵

His story changed multiple times. Initially, he claimed he was playfully swinging Jordyn when she slipped and hit her head. When confronted with the extent of her injuries, he admitted he had thrown her across the room and punched her three times in the stomach. “All she said is no, and she don’t backtalk a lot, but that always made me mad,” McCullen told investigators. When he tried to spank her and she refused, he said she rolled onto her back and he punched her in the stomach multiple times.

McCullen claimed Jordyn didn’t cry during the beating – she screamed. He said he later found her unresponsive and attempted CPR to no avail. He admitted to hiding her body in the woods because he thought it would be easier for Jaylene to believe her daughter was missing rather than dead. Disturbingly, he claimed he had always felt like a good father to both Jordyn and Angel, despite admitting he had previously struck Jordyn with a drumstick on her feet and hit her wrists.

In the wake of McCullen’s arrest, neighbours came forward with disturbing accounts of life at the Bess Town Road home. One couple, Michael and Nicole, tearfully recalled that about a month before Jordyn’s death, they had noticed she had two black eyes. When they asked McCullen about it, he said she had fallen. When they asked Jordyn directly, she said her mother had given her the black eyes because she was angry at her father.⁶ Neither Michael nor Nicole reported the incident to authorities – a decision they said that they now deeply regretted.

Neighbour Dusty Connard said she had called police four times in the past six months due to fighting at the home. She could hear Jaylene begging McCullen to stop hitting her from her own front porch. Dusty also witnessed McCullen hitting Jordyn across the chest with such force that she fell off the porch, then dragging her inside.⁷

Records showed police had been called to the home 16 times in the previous three years. The Gaston County Department of Social Services had conducted five visits between March and May 2016. In May, Joshua, who hadn’t been allowed to see his daughter for 18 months, called DSS expressing concerns after Jaylene reported McCullen was abusing her. He feared his daughter was experiencing the same treatment.

DSS closed the case on May 20, less than 12 weeks before Jordyn was killed, reporting they found “no evidence that children lacked supervision or were impacted by parental substance abuse.”⁸ Joshua was furious, later stating that DSS had “either turned a blind eye or they just didn’t see it.”

The community rallied around Jordyn’s memory. Hundreds attended a candlelight vigil the night after her body was discovered.⁹ Local residents organised fundraisers, selling hotdog plates that raised $1,500 in sales and nearly $1,000 in donations to help cover funeral costs.¹⁰

In July 2018, McCullen’s trial began in Shelby, North Carolina. note]NBC – 36 WNCN, 25 July, 2018 – “Jury Hears Heartbreaking Details”[/note] The jury heard graphic testimony about Jordyn’s injuries and watched McCullen’s recorded confession. The medical examiner testified that some bruises were in varying stages of healing, indicating prolonged abuse. Detective Matt Sampson told the jury that McCullen’s reference to Jordyn as “it” rather than “her” during questioning was a sign he knew she was already dead.

McCullen chose not to testify, and his defence called no witnesses.¹¹ After just 22 minutes of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder by torture and felony murder. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.¹²

Joshua later filed a lawsuit against both McCullen and Jaylene, accusing her of failing to provide a safe home and participating in the abuse. In February 2020, Superior Court Judge Robert Bell awarded Joshua $3 million in compensatory damages and $9 million in punitive damages.¹³

Jordyn’s death almost sparked legislative change. “Jordyn’s Law” was introduced by Senator Kathy Harrington, requiring DSS to contact non-custodial parents when investigations reveal abuse or neglect.¹⁴ The law aimed to provide transparency and allow non-custodial parents to advocate for their children’s safety. It was never passed.

1. NBC – 36 WNCN, 17 August, 2016 – “Man Bawls in 911 Call Reporting Girl, 3, Missing”
2. ABC – 9WSOC, 17 August, 2016 – “Neighbors Say Gaston Co. Toddler Found Dead Lived in Abusive Home”
3. The Gaston Gazette, 26 July, 2018 – “Detective Describes Finding Body”
4. The Gaston Gazette, 28 July, 2018 – “Jordyn Dumont Bled to Death”
5. NBC – 36 WCNC, 26 July, 2018 – “McCullen Confessed to Killing Three-Year-Old”
6. ABC – 9WSOC, 17 August, 2016 – “Father of Slain 3-Year-Old Girl Upset at Gaston County DSS”
7. The Charlotte Observer, 18 August, 2016 – “Gaston Police Had 16 Calls”
8. NBC – 36 WCNC, 18 August, 2016 – “DHHS Investigated Jordyn Dumont’s Family”
9. ABC – 9WSOC, 18 August, 2016 – “Vigil Held for Girl Killed in Gaston County”
10. ABC – 9 WSOC, 21 August, 2016 – “Fundraiser Held for Slain 3-Year-Old”
11. ABC – 9 WSOC, 27 July, 2018 – “Gaston Co. Man Accused in Toddler’s Death Doesn’t Testify as Defence Rests”
12. CBS – 17 WNCN, 30 July, 2018 – “NC Mom’s Boyfriend Guilty of Murder by Torture”
13. The Gaston Gazette, 29 February, 2020 – “A Gaston County Judge Awarded the Father of Jordyn Dumond $12 Million”
14. NBC – 36 WNCN, 31 March, 2017 – “A Toddler’s Murder Prompts Bill Proposal”