The Headley boys are delighted to be home. Photo supplied by family.
by Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com Staff
There were squeals of delight, tears of joy, and hugs all around at the Headley residence in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Thursday. After almost 15 months in state custody, the 4 Headley boys are home, and their parents want to thank everyone who has prayed and stood by them during the most difficult season of their lives.
The children were seized by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) on July 10, 2015, when their mother was accused of Munchausen by Proxy by Child Abuse Specialist Dr. Nancy Henderson. That accusation came shortly after parents William and Danielle Headley complained to hospital administrators about their youngest son Jack’s surgery beginning before the 3 year old was fully sedated. Jack was placed into a foster home, and his 3 older brothers were sent to a group home facility – Epworth Children’s Home (website).
Now, their time in foster care has come to an end, after a judge found that “probable cause no longer exists for the minor children to remain in custody.” They spent the day Thursday laughing and being visited by lots of family and friends. The boys loved finding their old toys, blankets, and jammies.
Home! Photo supplied by family.
They came home to a different house than the one they left, but because family is there, it is still “home.” Several months after the boys were taken by the state, the Headleys learned that their home was filled with several different strains of toxic mold, which had been building up after a roof replacement 6 years prior had been done incorrectly, allowing for leaks behind the walls. The mold was so bad that a specialist they called out told them that the best thing to do would be to move, so the Headleys moved into a new home in January.
The family suspects that, because Jack already had health problems since birth, the mold affected him more than it did his brothers. After he was removed from his home in July 2015, many of his symptoms improved (though he still lost weight in state care). While social workers attributed his improvement to being away from his family, the more likely scenario is that he got better after being away from the source of the mold.
See:
South Carolina Boys Medically Kidnapped Still Not Returned to Parents – Suffering in State Custody
Jack is excited to be with his older brothers again. During their time in DSS custody, he only was able to see them for a couple hours a month.
The family is still waiting for the criminal charges prompted by the Child Abuse doctor’s psychological diagnosis to be resolved. They expect that the evidence will exonerate Danielle Headley.
The Headley family, happy together before they were ripped apart by Child Protective Services. Photo supplied by family.
Now that the children are home, the healing process can begin. Many families have reported to Health Impact News that their children often have nightmares after returning home out of foster care. Many of them exhibit fear of strangers and knocks on the door that can continue for months or years. Children who are separated from their parents, for whatever reason, tend to be traumatized, even under the best of circumstances. When they have experienced abuse in foster care, as these children have, the road to healing can be difficult.
The family is confident that they will overcome, however. Their faith is strong. It is what has sustained them during the darkest of nights. Danielle often refers to the promise of rainbows:
Often times the brightest rainbows follow the darkest rainstorms.
William and Danielle Headley thank those who have prayed for them throughout their ordeal, and they ask for continued prayers that the boys will adjust well and can begin healing from their trauma.
They are certain that they will sleep much easier now that they know their children are no longer in harm’s way in the foster care system. The children will wake up in their own beds, with the love of their family surrounding them.
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