A picture of how beautiful Devani used to look before she was kidnapped by the State of Arizona and removed from her family, and put into the care of foster parents who were child abusers.

by Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com Staff

An Arizona court decided this week that a woman accused of scalding a little girl alive and burning over 80% of her body will go to trial in October 2018. Meanwhile, Samantha Osteraas is out on bail, and the little girl’s biological mother is still trying to get justice for her daughter, whose life was destroyed by Child Protective Services and the adults the agency placed her with.

While Samantha Osteraas is free to walk the streets as she awaits trial, little Devani’s real family has no idea where she is or who the agency has placed her with this time.

The court-appointed attorney chosen to represent little Devani and allowed her to remain in foster homes where she was allegedly raped, sexually trafficked, and burned, is the same attorney still representing her today.

The foster parents who committed such atrocities are now answering for their criminal acts in the legal system, but the government agencies that placed her there and kept her there until today, are apparently not being held responsible for their parts in these heinous crimes.

Where is the justice?

How Can Something Like this Happen in America?

What happened to Devani is one of the most horrific cases that we have ever covered at Health Impact News. 

We have seen hundreds of cases where children are removed from loving parents by the state for the simplest of infractions – too many dishes in the sink, a child that is “too short,” or a disagreement with a doctor over a diagnosis or a treatment. In many cases, the allegations used against the parents are not even true, as apparently it is in this case.

The child is allegedly being “protected” by the state, funded by federal Title IV-E social security funds and other funding streams paid for by taxpayers. Yet, under this multi-billion “protective” industry, the child is frequently placed into situations where they are at least 6 times MORE likely to be abused, raped, molested, or killed than if they had been left in their own home, even if it is a troubled home.

Sometimes they are literally placed by the state into situations of human sex-trafficking.

The allegations under which Devani was taken from her real parents were allegedly based on false allegations and lies. Our investigation found that there were no valid reasons for this child to have been taken from her family.

See:

Arizona Child Removed from Loving Family and Placed into Foster Care Where She was Repeatedly Raped – then 80% of Body Burned

Michelle Tremor-Calderon – mother of Devani. In her mother’s care, Devani was never abused or neglected.. Photo credit: David Wallace/The Republic.

One Dangerous Placement After Another

For little Devani, an adorable blond-haired, blue-eyed child, the supposed “protection” by the state came at a tremendous cost.

Under the supervision of Thea Gilbert, her Guardian ad Litem, Devani was placed into one abusive placement after another, after being seized from her home where she had a family that loves her very much and never once abused her.

Guardian ad Litem, Thea Gilbert. Source.

Even though Devani’s family has asked many times for another GAL to be appointed, Health Impact News has learned that Gilbert remains, to this day, the Guardian ad litem for Devani. She is responsible for advocating for the best interests of the child, yet is seems quite apparent that not a single placement decision that the state has made for Devani has been remotely in her best interests.

When, if ever, will the state of Arizona insist that Thea Gilbert be replaced as Devani’s representative?

Devani spent time in a house of horrors where she was allegedly raped repeatedly. The foster “father” David Frodsham is in prison for child pornography, sexual activity with children, and the procurement of children for his pedophile ring. All the while, he was a state-licensed foster parent.

During the time that the abuse was going on, GAL Thea Gilbert advocated for him to adopt Devani.

David Frodsham, former state-approved foster parent, now sits in prison serving a 17 year sentence for his role in a pornography and pedophilia ring. (See article at Mugshots.com)

All the while, Devani’s mother, Michelle Tremor-Calderon, told Gilbert, social workers, and the police that her daughter showed obvious signs of being molested. She was ignored and criticized for advocating for her child, accused of jeopardizing the placement.

After David Frodsham was arrested for his crimes of pedophilia, Devani was placed with Samantha and Justin Osteraas for adoption.

Burned Alive by Adopters

On December 29, 2016, the little girl who had already suffered so much was abused yet again by adults who were supposed to care for her.

According to reports, Samantha Osteraas held Devani down in scalding hot bathwater. Medical reports said that it was 6 hours before 911 was called. When the police arrived, they found blood on the floor and pieces of her skin falling off of her body. She had bruises on her neck and arms from being held down.

Devani had to be placed in a medically-induced coma. Her organs were in failure, and her toes had to be amputated. She has undergone numerous surgeries since then, including painful skin grafts.

Samantha Osteraas was arrested on January 5, 2017. She faces 2 counts of child abuse, but, to date, no charges of attempted murder have been filed.

Mugshot of Samantha Osteraas, arrested on 2 counts of child abuse. Photo source.

She was beaten up in jail by other inmates, and now she is out on bail.

Arizona Allows Visitation with Husband of Abuser, but Not Real Family

Samantha Osteraas’ husband Justin petitioned the court for, and got, visitation privileges with Devani.

Devani’s real parents and grandparents still have no visitation rights. They don’t even know where she is.

After all that she has been through, Devani has no access to her mommy. Her mother cannot rock her or comfort her or help her cope with the pain she is experiencing.

Her maternal grandmother has petitioned the court for custody of Devani, but she has been denied, even though the state has already approved her to care for another one of her grandchildren.

All that Michelle Tremor-Calderon can do is love her daughter from a distance, and pray, hoping that Devani, whose name has been changed, remembers the love of her family and knows that they are still out there praying for her.

Michelle cannot talk to Health Impact News or any other media about the case. She and the rest of the family have been gagged – their 1st Amendment rights stolen, just as their baby was stolen.

Criminal Trial Set for October, Almost 2 Years After Abuse

Tuscon.com reports:

Samantha Osteraas’ trial is to begin Oct. 9 and last for eight days, according to a court spokeswoman. The trial will be presided over by Pima County Superior Court Judge James Marner.

According to the article:

When Osteraas called 911, she told dispatchers she didn’t realize she was bathing her daughter in hot water.

A jury will get to decide if they buy that excuse this fall.

Devani – before abuse by the people who adopted her and left her with burns over 80% of her body. Photo provided by family.

Statement from Citizens Arizona DCS Oversight Committee

A group of parents and activists in Arizona have formed the Arizona DCS Oversight Committee “to ensure that DCS adheres to their policy and procedures, as well as the law.”

The group sent the following statement to Health Impact News regarding Devani’s case:

The most important issue in this case is that there was a history of severe abuse of this child from the first week of her seizure without warrant or exigency. She was safe and without a mark on her body with her parents. All charges of Domestic Violence against the mother were dropped the next day by a judge.

The investigative/seizing DCS Caseworker said, “OK, but I think you are doing drugs.” The mother provided an immediate sample, a 10 panel drug test. It was clean. Then the manipulative investigative case worker pushed her into a parenting plan…and that sealed the child’s fate.

Within the first week there were scratches and bruises on her daughter. The case worker had no concerns. The second week during visitation the parents noticed scratches, bruises AND bite marks. Still no concerns from the case worker, her superiors or any other court actors. Then Mom called police. Mom got in trouble for doing that. We believe that was a crime committed by the case workers and court actors not to investigate the harm done to the child. There is documented evidence of the bite marks, scratches and bruises on the child.

Her daughter was transfered to a Pedophile Ring in Sierra Vista for 18 months. Mom called the police when her daughter developed an 8 month long urinary tract infection and an inexplicable terror of unfamiliar men. The mom got in trouble again for calling the police.

The Department retaliated and conspired to halt mother’s visits for interfering with her daughter’s placements. They blamed the mother, they accused her of “coaching” her child to fear men. They blamed her for her daughter’s complete melt downs at the end of their monitored visits. Case Workers, superiors, therapists, court appointees and a judge chastized the mother, condemned her, smeared her, threatened her and destroyed her for being protective of her daughter. That in and of itself is a crime. It is felony failure to report battery and sexual abuse of a child.

DCS employees, appointees and contractors said the mother was not properly bonded with her child. They lied, conspired and cut out all family members who stepped up to the plate to save the life of their little girl. Her grandmother came from Oklahoma to take custody of her granddaughter and the department ignored her attempts to take over raising her.

The family knew their little girl was being sexually abused and the child safety workers treated them with rank disdain and had the mother and her family banned from this little girl’s life. TERMINATION! No fair trial, suppressed all evidence that could have saved this child.

When the foster care provider went to prison for 17 years…not one person involved in this child’s case came clean to exonerate the mother and the family and tell anyone in authority that the mom and the family were right. Not one state offical came forward to apologize to the family or the mother.

What DCS, the court and appointees did was to carry on trafficking the little girl. They were warned against adopting her out to Samantha Osteraas by the the Osteraas family…so was the adoption agency. But, the department, the child’s lawyer, the so called bonding evaluator colluded to rip this child away from her mom and place her with a woman who nearly killed her and left her on the floor with third degree burns in organ and respiratory failure for 6 hours without seeking any medical help for her.

There are laws on the books in this state that we want to have implemented.

The case workers, the appointees and the contractors were informed. They were shown evidence and the mother and the family were the only ones to report battery and sexual abuse of their child. Samatha Osteraas will face charges for what she did to this beautiful child of Tucson. We want all those who flouted the law to be brought up on charges of “felony failure to report battery and abuse of a child.”

Had DCS, their employees, contractors and court appointees followed the law and reported to law enforcement the harm that was being done to this child and her family in real time, this child’s life would not have been destroyed.

Return her to her family! They protected her, DCS did not. AZDCS Oversight Committee – azdcsoc at gmail.com

How You Can Help

Devani remains with strangers. Her biological family has no idea where she is. Even though parental rights have been terminated, the state could overturn that decision and return her to her family. This child and her family deserve justice.

Governor Doug Ducey can be reached at 602-542-4331 or contacted here.

Greg McKay is the Director of DCS/CPS in Arizona. His office may be reached at 602-255-2500.

Listen to an interview below with Beth Breen, the driver contracted with CPS to transport Devani between the Frodshams’ home and visits with her parents.