Police investigating the suspicious death of a toddler in the Hunter region 20 years ago have welcomed a NSW Government reward of $500,000 for information relating to the incident.
Jordan William Thompson was 21 months old when his mother went to run some errands, leaving him in the care of her then partner during the afternoon of Thursday 19 March 2005.
When she returned home, Jordan was in his bedroom unresponsive. She rushed him across the road to Singleton Base Hospital, but he could not be revived.
Police were told the little boy had been found face down in the bathtub; however, a postmortem 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.
Hunter Valley Police District and the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad are jointly investigating the incident.
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.
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.
"The NSW Police Force has never given up on finding the truth about what happened to Jordan, and this $500,000 reward is about encouraging anyone with information to do the right thing and come forward.
"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."
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."
Jordan's mother, Bernice, has joined police in appealing to the community for someone to come forward.
"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," she 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.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au Information is managed on a confidential basis. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
