Our Story

On March 26, 1997, a police officer came to my door with all black on and a big black hat. He explained to me that my son was missing and had been chased into the water by a group of people after a fight broke out at San Diego’s Crown Point. The search started and stopped without me. I was told to stay at home by authorities that night and that the search was called off and would continue at 7am the next morning.

No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! The police said “he could not swim” so he drowned accidentally. I pleaded with my family and the police that this could not be true as my son taught my daughters how to swim. He was the little man of the house. I began thinking the police and my family were right. I’m in mourning and sick over the loss of my only son.

No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! 1 year later I woke up one morning and began my fight for Closure 4 Me And Justice 4 Curtis. I started questioning the lifeguard and he said I need to speak with his boss. They gave me no answers and demanded I get something in writing to obtain the lifeguard report. I left there with No Closure 4 Me And No Justice 4 Curtis. I finally got the lifeguard dispatch report it contained the incident comment and disclosure and I discovered that my son had no pants or shoes on his body. I went to the police department to ask why I was not told of his belongings, and they said I was to call and make an appointment with Lt. Duncan of homicide division. This battle lasted for two years.

No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! I finally got the police report which had parts of; lifeguard reports, medical examiner reports, and F.B.I reports that were blacked out that I could not read. There were over 20 witnesses on the beach and a lady across the street heard a gunshot and saw a man carrying a body into the water.

No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! I took a step back and called the medical examiner’s office thinking maybe they could help me. The chief medical examiner, Henry Bonell said “I knew you would call back”, and immediately hung up the phone. My daughter and I went down to the medical examiner’s office and there we found the tag “187” which means homicide and eight Polaroid photos. They mailed four death certificates to me with four different locations of the drowning. I notice that in the Polaroid photos his arms was folded.

No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! Two weeks later I was reading the San Diego Union Tribune and learned medical examiner Dr. Bonell was fired for falsifying documents on murdered children. I met at the City Managers office with Lemont Ewell, where I received a brown envelope this time with over 200 photos of my son and the crime scene. I went to the F.B.I office to see if I could get the report they had that did not contain anything blacked out. I was given a form to fill out and mail to Washington D.C under the privacy act that protects the F.B.I. which I was also denied.

No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! This is when I wrote the Child Closure Law in 2000 which was later changed to Curtis Law in 2017 because it became a federal case. Having no closure for your child is worse than dealing with the loss itself. It stays inside your heart, soul, and mind forever. In March, 2017 it has been 20 years since his death, Jose Jimenez admitted to killing Curtis and tells how and why he did it. The District Attorney Joeseph McLaughlin refused to arrest him. No Closure 4 Me No Justice 4 Curtis! Help make closure a law not a plea. I now reside in Jacksonville FL. With the help of you, Congress, State Senators, and House Representatives, we can make this law to be nationwide. My sons’ clothing is still at the San Diego police department and will unfortunately remain there until I get Closure 4 Me And Justice 4 Curtis!

Our Mission is to work to help all families of deceased children 18 and under with bereavement issues.

We help with free counseling by partnering with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, assistance with headstones through our Thanksgiving program, and have monthly meetings on the 4th Monday of every month to help keep you updated with events and resources in the community. You Are Not Alone!