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Indiana Parents Lose Their Baby and 2 Years of Their Lives in Jail for “Abuse” They Say Never Happened

An Indiana couple watches their mailbox with dread, waiting for the papers they hope will never come - papers saying that their young son has been adopted out. Laura Gellinger and Dylan Day haven't seen their son in over 2 years, after they took their then 3 month old baby to the hospital for a minor injury and were subsequently accused of child abuse. They each spent 2 years in jail and are currently on probation after their son was found to have multiple fractures in various stages of healing. A family history of osteoporosis, on both sides, was ignored, and there was only minimal testing for any other possible medical explanation for baby Jackson Day's alleged injuries. But the parents say that they were never adequately represented in court by their public defenders, and that the social workers involved in their case presented false testimony against them. Could this be a case of innocent parents being unjustly accused, and imprisoned, for something that they didn't do? Laura's parents believe so, and Laura and Dylan maintain that they don't know what actually happened, and that they never hurt their baby.

Grandmother Fights Against Government Child Trafficking in North Carolina

A North Carolina grandmother writes: "Why does CPS have to put a price tag on children's heads? I never thought in my life that child trafficking would be legal in our own government. I don't have much hope anymore and my pain is ongoing since the day they took him. We are just another family that's lost in this corrupted government kidnapping our children." Her grandson has been forcibly taken from her family and currently lives with strangers, through the Child Protective System. His grandmother, Kimberly Deese, is one of thousands of parents and grandparents who view the actions of Child Protective Services as literally being a form of legalized child trafficking. It has been one year since Health Impact News first reported the heartbreaking story of Malakai, a little boy who was medically kidnapped from his family and has suffered abuse and malnutrition since being in state custody.

Tennessee Children with Brittle Bones Suffer in State Care as Mom Charged with SBS

Chris and Keshia Turner from East Tennessee are still waiting to bring their son Brayden home since he was removed from their custody on December 11, 2014. Keshia had rushed the baby to the emergency room when his leg that had been splinted in the NICU became tight and warm to the touch. While at the hospital, an x-ray revealed a broken bone and several rib fractures. The following day, Keshia took Brayden to his pediatrician to follow-up on his care. There she found herself confronted with law enforcement and a Department of Children’s Services worker who demanded that she take Brayden to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, nearly three hours away. That evening, Vanderbilt Medical Center Child Abuse Specialist Dr. Deborah Lowen said that Brayden’s injuries could only be abuse, and investigators and doctors allegedly stopped looking for another explanation.

Newborn Baby Kidnapped from Alabama Hospital After Parents Decline Birth Certificate and SSN

Theirs was a spiritual journey of getting back to nature and rejecting the materialism that they felt held them in bondage. Christian and Danielle Holm began their journey together in early 2016 as itinerant missionaries, traveling across the country and speaking to churches as they sought to live simply and biblically. The last thing that they expected was for Child Protective Services to seize their 1 day old baby literally off of his mother's breast in an Alabama hospital. What started out as an apparent case of mistaken identity has turned into a nightmare that the family cannot wake up from. They don't understand why their baby was taken from them, or why he still remains in state custody in foster care while social workers continue to challenge their religious beliefs. Hospital officials allegedly became originally concerned when the couple refused to file a birth certificate or take out a social security card for their newborn child, prompting social services and local law enforcement to get involved. According to a close family friend who contacted Health Impact News, the couple are grieving. "The most sacred thing to Danielle and Christian is the bond of male and female coming together and giving life with God. This bonding process in the beginning of a baby's life has been stolen from them. There was never any reason for their baby to be taken from them." Instead of beginning life on his mother's breast milk, the newborn baby is now being force-fed commercial formula.

Corruption in Alabama: Abuse of Family Rights Continues – Retaliation Against Media Exposure

Haly Boothe, a young Shelby County, Alabama mother whose 3 day old baby was seized by DHR without a court order, warrant, or evidence of wrongdoing, is still fighting to get her children back. Many who are close to the family have expressed that they are appalled at what they say is injustice in the family court system. Haly recently sent a lengthy letter to Alabama legislators and others describing what she calls "a lifetime of attacks" by DHR. She posed numerous questions challenging many of the actions of DHR personnel, including those of her children's Guardan ad litem, Erin Welborn, which she has described as "unfair." As of the writing of this article, none of her concerns have been addressed. Her parental rights to her other two children were terminated, even though her family maintains that the state has never produced any evidence of wrongdoing by Haly. They believe that she lost her children because she was in the foster care system herself when she had her first two children at age 15 and 16. Her children were kept by DHR when Haly aged out of the system at age 19. She was not permitted to take her children with her. Before her newest baby, Avyonna, was born in May, Haly was told by social workers and attorneys alike that they were not going to take her baby when she was born. However, Baby Avyonna was seized by Shelby County DHR at only 3 days old in May from a Jefferson County hospital. The social worker reportedly told her that it was because DHR already had the other children in their custody. Since the writing of Haly's letter to state legislators and the Alabama Governor, her court-appointed attorney wrote that he felt that he had no choice but to withdraw from her case. Haly is now without legal representation. Her family is concerned that there are no attorneys left in Shelby County with the ethics and courage to stand up for her. They hope to find an attorney in Alabama who is not a part of the network of Shelby County attorneys.

CPS Kidnapped Michigan Twins Return Home – In Worse Shape Than When the State Took Them

In a dramatic turn of events, Michigan twins Abbie and Alexis Odonnell have been returned home to their family. In July, the family court told the teens' family that they were considering sending them to a facility in Boystown, Nebraska, and their family feared for their safety. (See story here.) All contact had been cut off between the twins and their mother Laura Odonnell, and there was a difficult 6 week period when Laura had no word about the twins at all. The situation looked hopeless. But now the girls are home. However, nothing prepared Laura for the condition that her twins were in when they were returned to her.

Medically Kidnapped South Carolina Boys Come Home After 15 Months

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.

Two Indiana Boys Medically Kidnapped Remain in CPS Custody Despite Testimony of Medical Experts

January 24, 2016 will forever be a day seared in the heads and hearts of the Timmons family from Indiana, when a trip to the emergency room turned into their worst nightmare. Now, Austin and Andrea Timmons are fighting to get their boys, Foster and Cooper, home. Despite having medical expert testimony to support their innocence, their children remain in custody. This has been the Timmons family’s hardest fight of their lives, and they are pouring all of their time, hearts, and resources into proving their innocence and bringing their boys home. It is their hope that their statements from the expert doctors will eventually have their case dismissed, and they can start healing as a family.

Los Angeles Mom Watches in Horror as Medically Kidnapped Baby Taken Away by Angry Woman (Video)

Los Angeles mother Lori Ibrahim recognizes that there is an inherent need in children to be with their mother, and she is broken-hearted that Child Protective Services is ignoring that fact. Her children were taken away from her after she had a positive drug screen after giving birth to her youngest son in July. Her friends are asking how this can happen, since the only drugs that she was taking were medications that were properly prescribed by doctors. Since being in state care, her infant has bruises, and her older son is traumatized from the separation. Health Impact News spoke with Lori after a recent visit with her children. She put into words what many parents have expressed about the grief of being separated from their children and the joy of spending time with them at visits, followed by the heartbreak of having to say goodbye at the end of the visits: "It's like being admitted through the pearly gates, and then someone opens a trap door and drops you into the pits of hell. It's so unnatural and so wrong to hand your babies to a stranger and walk away from them."

Shoars Children Kidnapped from Nevada to Arizona Still not Returned

Their children's screams still haunt Jeff and Tabitha Shoars' dreams, and echoes of the laughter that once filled their home brings the couple to tears on a daily basis. It has been almost 3 weeks since the horrific day that social workers drove from Maricopa County, Arizona, to Las Vegas, Nevada, and seized 6 of the Shoars children without warning. They still have not seen or heard from their children since then. They want to know why, and they are terrified for the safety of their children. Tabitha asks: "Are they crying for us? Are they having a hard time going to sleep? The house is too quiet." The family's court date was canceled, and four judges assigned to the case have already been removed, with a 5th judge now scheduled to hear their case later this month.

Outrageous and Unfounded Claims Used Against Texas Homeschool Family to Keep Children in Custody

A Texas homeschool family is still fighting CPS in Lubbock Texas for the return of 10 of their 11 children, who were taken away from the place where they were staying in Colorado and transported back to Texas. Playing outside in old clothes with no shoes, having no deodorant, boys having hair that is too long, are all reasons CPS is using to keep these children away from their parents. The parents have a medical exemption for vaccines for their children, but CPS is allegedly threatening to vaccinate them all, as the parents desperately try to get their children back home.

South Carolina Boys Medically Kidnapped Still Not Returned to Parents – Suffering in State Custody

The Headley family out of South Carolina has endured many hardships since their four boys were taken into custody in July of 2015, because the mother disagreed with a doctor regarding the care of her youngest son, and wanted a second opinion. One of the hardships they have endured was recently discovering mold in their home - a likely culprit in the health problems of their children. However, when it was suggested that mold might be the culprit for some of the children’s illnesses, a court-appointed expert rejected the possibility. Now, parents William and Danielle await a phone call to find out when their next court date will be, and it is uncertain when the boys will get to come home. Ironically, recent developments in the air quality at the Spartanburg County courthouse related to mold, the same mold that was found in the Headley home, has forced the courthouse to shut down for a while, extending their reunification date even further.

Arizona Kidnaps Shoars Children from Nevada, Children Scream in Terror As They are Dragged Away (audio)

When Arizona Judge Bruce Cohen dismissed the case against Tabitha and Jeff Shoars on April 6, 2016, the family thought that their nightmare with Arizona DCS (Department of Child Safety) was over. They moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to try to rebuild their lives and heal from the trauma of being separated for 600 days. They were happy. Laughter once again filled their home. The children began school in their new neighborhood. The children welcomed home their new baby sister this week, on Tuesday, August 23, 2016. Due to some complications at birth, Nevada social workers investigated the family, but found nothing wrong. However, while the local social services found nothing troubling about the family, Arizona social workers showed up with local police, and within 10 minutes were transporting the children back to Arizona based on the same charges that had already been dismissed. Terrorized, the children began screaming and trying to get away, as some of them had allegedly been abused in Arizona foster care, and they were horrified as they were being forced to go back to the same foster home. The local police stood by and not only allowed this to happen, but participated by restraining the children and parents. The parents Jeff and Tabitha are stunned, wondering how local Nevada police could honor a social services order from another state, allowing them to take away their children so easily?

Pennsylvania Children with Genetic Disorder Medically Kidnapped, Mother Falsely Accused of Abuse

Pennsylvania mother Jessica Battiato has been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - a rare inherited connective tissue disorder which can cause brittle bones which may be easily broken. When she took her first-born son to the doctor more than a year ago for a swollen leg, she was shocked to learn that he had 18 to 20 fractures in his body. Cesar was seized by child protective services. Since that time, experts have diagnosed him with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, low vitamin D, and infantile rickets. However, after more than a year, the state has still not released Cesar back to his parents. In April, Jessica gave birth to another baby. Jessica hid her pregnancy from Berks County social workers out of fear that they would take her baby from her as soon as he was born. This fear appears justified, as social workers around the country often seize babies, even breastfeeding babies, right from the hospital, especially if another child in the family is already in the system. Jessica was afraid, so she sought prenatal care and gave birth on April 27 in another county. She and the boys' father Cosme were able to bond and spend those very important early weeks bonding together. Then, when baby Julius was 7 weeks old, Jessica says that she applied for Medicaid for him. That was when their family time ended. Their new baby was taken by Berks County Children and Family Services, and the parents Jessica Battiato and Cosme Aviles are once again being accused of child abuse.

Alabama 14 Year Old Rape Victim Released from State Custody with her Baby

Baby Braelon and his young mother have been released to the custody of a family member, according to a source close to the Prince family. The mother's twin brother remains in a group home, but the source, who asked not to be named, reports that the judge in the case, Judge Corey Moore, appears to finally be listening to the evidence in the case. No more will the young mother be under the watchful guard of the 24 hour sitters. No more will she be isolated from her support system and everyone she cares about. When she attends church, she will be able to sit with family and friends instead of social workers. She won't be followed into the bathroom. She will be living in a much cleaner environment. Her phone conversations with family members will not be monitored. She will be able to breastfeed her baby on demand and meet his needs, without being coerced to follow poor decisions for his care made by sitters, social workers, and group home mothers. If he needs to go to the doctor, she will be able to get him seen without having to beg for days. In short, the young mother will no longer be treated like a prisoner.

Alabama DHR Seizes Newborn Baby with No Court Order, No Trial, and No Evidence

The assumption of the public is that when a child is removed from his or her parents, the government has a compelling reason to be involved, based on allegations of abuse or neglect. Sometimes, however, that is not the case, and children are literally separated from their families because a social worker thinks a parent MIGHT cause harm in the future, even if there is no current abuse or harm being committed. This appears to be the case with an Alabama mother whose 3 day old breastfeeding baby was taken from her at the hospital in May. The mom, 20 year old Haly Booth, is an older sister of the 14 year old rape victim whose story of her baby's kidnapping has been heard around the world. Shelby County DHR has seized Haly's newborn baby with no court order, no trial, and no evidence. The reasons they have given in a written letter to the mother are basically that they do not think she is a good mother, and that she might harm her baby in the future. The mother is a former foster child herself, and that is used against her. Is this what we have come to in the United States of America, where children can be kidnapped by the State so easily? Is any family safe?

Alabama Child Protective Services Continues to Harass Alabama Family

A set of twins seized from their home in June by Shelby County DHR in Alabama may have to repeat the 8th grade, even though both were promoted by their school to the 9th grade. Family and friends are very concerned about the impact that the Department of Human Resources (DHR) will have on the twins' education. There have also been numerous problems with visitation attempts with the twins. Their family's story has been at the heart of an ongoing series of articles from Health Impact News after one of the twins, a young rape victim, had her baby seized from her at Shelby County Baptist Medical Center on June 15 without a court order, warrant, or emergency circumstances. Both twins were told last week by DHR officials that they would be going into the 8th grade when school starts, even though both of them completed the 8th grade in the spring. They were promoted by their school to the 9th grade before they were taken from their home. In the meantime, when the twins are allowed to appear in public they are surrounded by many government workers which some observers say feel like the Gestapo or the KGB. The newborn baby also continues to suffer in State care.

Kidnapped Twins in Michigan Physically Abused: Being Shipped out of State to Destroy Family Ties

Laura Odonnell was shocked to see her 15 year old daughter Alexis arrived to court with a huge bruise on her face. Both twins show signs of being abused in state custody. The Odonnell twins just want to go home and be together as a family again, but on Friday July 29th Judge Elwood Brown has approved a request from the state to send the Michigan teens to a juvenile facility in Boys Town, Nebraska. When Alyssa, 17, learned that her sisters were going to be sent 19 hours away from home for the next 4 years, she stormed out of the courtroom, visibly upset. For that, a bailiff threatened her with a tazer. The Odonnell children were healthy before they were taken into state custody 2 years ago after allegedly trying marijuana. They were having a bit of difficulty adjusting to a new school, but the pot incident started a snowball of state intervention which keeps getting worse. Now, the twins are reportedly on a suicide watch, and are spending almost every hour of the day in isolation. They never had any psychiatric or mental health concerns before entering state custody, but now Abbie has anorexia and Alexis has bulimia. Abbie seems to be turning the trauma inward, but Alexis, always the bolder of the two, is very angry and has been having meltdowns. Little wonder. Every time there is hope of coming home and being together again, their hopes are dashed. Laura wonders how they are going to hold on.

Alabama DHR Continues to Destroy Family of 14 Year Old Rape Victim

"They just make it up as they go along." That is what more than one person told Health Impact News about Alabama Shelby County DHR's treatment of the Prince family. Friends of the family were horrified when DHR seized the baby of Dee and Rodney Prince's 14 year old granddaughter in June. While the man accused of raping her sits in jail accused of raping 3 other underage girls, the young mother and her twin brother have also lost their freedom and remain in DHR custody. The latest developments have the family reeling. Their older sister Haly and both of the 14 year old twins continue to suffer at the hands of Shelby County's Child Protective Services, under the Department of Human Resources (DHR).

Formerly Healthy Twins Now Wasting Away in Michigan Care for 2 Years After Allegedly Trying Marijuana

The Odonnell twins were healthy teenage girls before they went into Michigan state custody 2 years ago at the age of 13. They were talented athletes who participated in national cheerleading and gymnastic competitions. Now, their mother is literally afraid for their lives. Laura Dalton reports that her girls are very ill, but the state seems to be neglecting their medical care. Since they were taken from their home, Abbie has developed anorexia, and Alexis has bulimia - both serious eating disorders that are wreaking catastrophic damage on their bodies. They got into some trouble, but their family wants to know when the state of Michigan will stop punishing them. Their time away from home and from each other has taken a huge emotional and physical toll on the twins. However, instead of working to get them the help they need, the state seems intent on punishing them even more. At the last court hearing, Laura was told that the girls are to be sent to a facility in Boys Town, Nebraska. All visitation has been cut off, and she is no longer being given information about their condition. Laura is terrified for her daughters, who are now 15 years old. What she wants more than anything is for them to get the medical care they need.