Jennifer Bush, now 27, and her mom, Kathy Bush, photographed together in 2015. They have been reunited for years and Jennifer says she does not believe her mother abused her. (Sun Sentinel/Family photo provided by Jennifer Bush)
Excerpts:
It was a heartbreaking case that ripped a 9-year-old girl from her South Florida family and sent her mother to prison for years.
Exactly 19 years ago… Jennifer Bush was placed in state care amid allegations that her mother, Kathy Bush, was deliberately making her ill in an unusual — and some say now discredited — form of child abuse called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
After shunning attention for years, Jennifer Bush is publicly defending her mom for the first time and agreed to release a written statement this week and answer a few, limited follow-up questions from the Sun Sentinel.
“Jennifer made it very clear: She thinks her mother never abused her,” said Fort Lauderdale lawyer Robert Buschel, who defended Kathy Bush in her criminal trial and is the representative Jennifer Bush picked to relay her response to questions.
The Coral Springs family’s story fascinated and polarized the community for years, generated dozens of headlines internationally and featured on national TV.
Many thought the little girl was secretly abused by a mother who caused her to undergo dozens of unnecessary medical procedures and surgeries. Others believed it was a clear case of government overreach by state child welfare workers who split the family and prosecutors who filed criminal charges.
Read the Full Article Here.
See Also:
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: A Fake Psychiatric Disorder Used to Medically Kidnap Children?
My prayers w u my daughter w through some ordeal it started whn she was nine and at ten thy put her on the stand thanks to cps my husband nw was prosecuted for twenty years for indecency w a minor he didnt take their plea bargain so thy railroad him she was modelest at age five frm a family member frm my previous marriage we didnt knw until she was nine something trigger while she was goin to school whole thing twisted teacher got invovled and lie she tried to go bac recanted her cousin was molested her whn she little he tld thm nt to tell a Solé but the da said to her thats a differant story focus on my husband well nw she is twenty five and this today she he did nothin to her and nobody us we always did family things and he had two children my daughter real father was terrible to us i got strong and got of it and got divorece so cps said it was what goin in the hme nw he wasntt w my kids by thmseleves my mother watch thm whn i work and all our family suffered terrible but we made it we dnt try harsh on past we try to go forward but my daughter cant we try nt to talk abt but shell say because of m a innocent man to went to prision hes out on parole his conditons ar no contact w him or he goes bac in she get so mad at m because her sister can talk to him or come arnd him and she cant she said mom im adult nw while cant i talk to him its his condition he has to follow or go bac i dnt know how many days the family go throughs w her and we didnt knw what to do to hlp her its tearin her up inside but mom y dont thy believe my step father never did nothin to me if any body knows who cans she write to i wld appericated . Im glad a sad turn into something happy and u were reunited stay close i lost my closeness w my daughter whn cps got in my life its never been the same i missed that w her she was a lovely daughter minded got good grades we talk but nt much she secretly even worst nw so god bless hang on what u hve life too short Rebecca