Nevada Judge Rules Against Seizure of Shoars Baby – Baby Returned Home to Parents

Tabitha and Jeff Shoars are celebrating that their youngest child, 10 month old Nytallieya, is back home after being seized by Nevada Child Protective Services just after noon on Monday, June 5, 2017. The baby was taken from their Las Vegas home after Arizona Department of Child Safety social workers sent a report to Nevada CPS alleging that the Shoars left the child with an "unsafe caregiver." The Shoars disputed that claim, saying that the caregiver to whom Arizona DCS refers is someone that they feel quite confident about - a retired police officer and his wife. The judge ruled that there "was no impending danger to remove the child." He noted that Nevada CPS has been in the Shoars' home on previous occasions, and found no cause to remove the child, who was born in Nevada. He stated: "There is not a factual statement within the report to warrant removal of the child."

Arizona Convinces Nevada CPS to Kidnap Shoars Baby Despite No Imminent Danger

Tabitha and Jeff Shoars' youngest child, Nytallieya, was seized early Monday afternoon by Nevada Child Protective Services. The Shoars are devastated and shocked at the strong arm of Arizona DCS and their apparent ability to influence Nevada to take their only child who was still living with them. According to the documents given to the Shoars on Monday, June 5, 2017, they are being accused of leaving Nytallieya "in the care of an unsafe caregiver when they left to visit Arizona." The babysitter that is being called "unsafe" is a retired police officer and his wife, and the Shoars have left the baby in their care several times a month during their visits with their other children in Maricopa County, Arizona. A social worker in Nevada had advised them to keep the baby out of Arizona as much as possible, since she was born in Nevada and thus out of Arizona's jurisdiction. Thus, they had to have a babysitter that they trusted to care for the baby during the visits. When family members were unavailable to babysit, they relied on their retired police officer friend and his wife. It looks like Arizona DCS (Department of Child Safety) has found a way to get to the baby. Tabitha told Health Impact News that she believes that Arizona Assistant Attorney General Bonnie Platter has a vendetta against the couple, and that this is retaliation by her. Those who have been following the Shoars family saga are angry and upset that the Child Protective Agencies have the power that they do. The family believed that Nytallieya was safe. She was well cared for and was thriving. There was no immediate threat and no danger to the child. Since the parental rights, and therefore visits, were terminated, there was not likely a need for the family to need a babysitter in the near future. The family has a 72-hour hearing on Thursday (June 8) morning at 9 am. They have no attorney yet. All of their attorneys are in Arizona, and Nevada family court doesn't assign a court-appointed attorney until the first hearing. Tabitha and Jeff are hopeful that the judge in the case will dismiss the case and return their baby home.

Civil Rights Abuse? Judge Only Gives Parents 24 Hours to Find Doctor Before Baby is Removed from Life Support

After a long day in court, the Rivenburg family did not get the news they wanted to hear about Baby Steffen. Last week, a judge approved a temporary injunction to keep the 7 month old baby from being taken off life support. On Monday afternoon, Judge Wayne Shelton ruled that Baby Steffen's mother does not have the right to make the decision of whether or not to take him off of life support, and he denied the request to extend the injunction. The family has a short 24 hour, up to 48 hour, window to find a pediatric cardiologist in the South willing to testify that the baby is eligible for a heart transplant and would survive it. Unless they find such an expert, Vanderbilt doctors, not the parents, will decide when to take Baby Steffen off of the life support machine that is keeping him alive at this time.

Baby Scheduled to go Off Life Support Responding to Family – Rally and Court Date on Monday Morning

We asked grandmother Lisa Rivenburg if Baby Steffen is showing any signs of responding to family. She responded: YES! ALL signs! He opens his eyes, squeezes my hand, puts his hands up in the air, kicks his feet. He smiles. He grimaces. He makes his little "Elvis face." She told us that he lifts his hands up when she plays his favorite song, "Awake, My Soul," by Chris Tomlin. He's completely cognizant when he's not heavily medicated. Steffen responds to his family as much as he can while being limited by wires and tubes. Lisa said that he fights the medications that make him sleep. The family has court on Monday, the day before the court order expires that is keeping Baby Steffen alive. They have been told that Vanderbilt Hospital intends to bring in a doctor from their hospital "to say the baby has no chance."

85% of Reports to Indiana Child Protective Services Unsubstantiated – Families Destroyed Needlessly

Kara Kenney of ABC TV6 has reported on an investigation into the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). She interviewed Bryan Ciyou and Robert Schembs, Indianapolis attorneys who represent families in cases involving DCS. They give good advice to parents who are being investigated by DCS. They explain many of the problems and corruption found in Child Social Services that Health Impact News and MedicalKidnap.com report about regularly, including the fact that only 15% of children taken away from their parents are ever substantiated for abuse or neglect. And as we have reported many times, often the category of "neglect" is used very broadly for poor living conditions where abuse is not present.

Medically Kidnapped Baby Scheduled for Execution TODAY!

Doctors at Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee want to take a baby off of life support Tuesday, May 30. His family is fighting for his very life. They believe that there is still hope for 7 month old Steffen Rivenburg Jr., who was born with heart defects but was not sick until after Child Protective Services seized custody of him and his older sister on February 2. His mother Patricia Tornberg told Health Impact News that, even though he is very sick now: I feel like he can make a turn-around. My husband and I want to give him a chance by keeping him on life support. After baby Steffen was taken from his parents and placed into foster care, he caught a very serious viral infection on February 17 which caused damage to his heart. A heart surgery that the parents were told would not be needed until he was 6 months old became necessary on February 23. That was followed by 3 more heart surgeries and other procedures on his tiny body. Patricia and Steffen Rivenburg Sr. have told the hospital and the Department of Children's Services (DCS) that they refuse to consent to taking their son off of life support, but the doctors reportedly plan to unplug him by noon on Tuesday, May 30th. The family is requesting that everyone call the Governor of Tennessee to prevent this from happening.

Arizona Successfully Kidnaps Shoars Kids from Nevada After Judge Terminates Parental Rights

Jeff and Tabitha Shoars eagerly awaited the day when they would hear the final verdict from Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. They firmly believed that the judge, who was presented with all the evidence in the case, would ultimately rule that their children should be returned home to their custody. The judge had even met with the children, who all expressed their desire to go home to be with their parents. Just before 8 am on Wednesday morning, May 24, they learned the horrible news: their children are not coming home and their parental rights have been terminated. They are devastated. All the charges made against the Shoars which had been dismissed by both the police and DCF, allowing them to move their family to Nevada, were apparently reused in the current court proceedings, with no new evidence. How did this happen? How was Arizona DCF able to kidnap children from another state and break up this family who wants to be together?

Oregon Couple Labeled “Incapable” Parents by Social Workers – 2 Day Old Baby Kidnapped

For nearly four years, Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler of Bend, Oregon, have been fighting to prevent Oregon Department of Human Services' Child Protection Services from terminating their parental rights to their children. The agency has deemed the couple "incapable" of parenting. CPS claims that the couple cannot provide for their children because they are believed to be intellectually limited. Since MedicalKidnap.com has started covering these stories, we have learned that child social services around the country seldom remove children from homes due to "abuse" anymore, but have now mainly resorted to using a much broader category of "neglect" where they determine who is a good parent and who is not. This label of "incapable" placed on Amy and Eric comes as a shock to those who know the couple, given that both of the parents graduated from high school with a standard diploma, and both ranked in the middle of their graduating class.

Navy Dad Plans Hunger Strike at White House Over Medically Kidnapped Kids

In December, a Kansas judge ordered reunification for the "Hunger Strike Dad" and his children. That hasn't happened. Though Raymond and Amelia Schwab have done everything the court has ordered them to do, they say that the Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) has "sabotaged the whole process." The Navy veteran father of 6 has had enough, and he is throwing down the gauntlet. He is making plans now for another hunger strike - this time at the White House - until President Trump acts to investigate the child trafficking by Child Protective Services, or he starves to death in front of the White House.

Missouri Hospital Refuses Transfer of Sick Baby – Kidnaps Kansas Couple’s Newborn Child

Baby Serenity decided to make her arrival about 4 weeks ahead of time, catching her parents, Brianne and Jason Glazier off guard. The couple were in the middle of moving from Kansas to Illinois, and her father had gone ahead a couple weeks before to get things set up at their new apartment to get ready for her arrival. Brianne never made it there. She went into labor early, and Serenity was born in a Kansas hospital on September 15, 2016. Jason rushed back to Kansas for what should have been a happy occasion, but it has turned into a nightmare for the new family. Now, the couple are fighting Child Protective Services in a third state - Missouri - to try to bring their baby home. Their newborn daughter was born with a heart defect, called Tetralogy of Fallot, as well as other birth defects. The hospital she was born in transferred her to another Kansas hospital, which immediately transferred her to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. The frightened parents found themselves in a strange city, in a state where they had no connections, and they were faced with doctors and staff who they say were not telling them what was going on with their baby. They told the staff that they wanted to transfer their baby to Illinois and arrange for her care in hospitals near their home. Jason tells Health Impact News that is when the problems with the hospital began.

Justina Pelletier and Medical Kidnapping 4 Years Later – Has Anything Changed?

It has been more than 4 years since the most infamous case of medical kidnapping in the United States occurred when the state of Massachusetts, together with Boston Children's Hospital, seized custody of then 14-year-old Justina Pelletier over a medical disagreement. The story exploded across mainstream and international media after her father Lou Pelletier courageously defied an unconstitutional gag order and risked prison to tell his family's story. With heavy hitters in the national media like Glenn Beck, Mike Huckabee and Dr. Phil giving them exposure, as well as an army of advocates by their side, it still took 16 months to get their daughter home. Justina, to this day, still suffers physical, mental, and emotional trauma from all that happened to her during her captivity. At the time, most of the public thought this story was an anomaly - an egregious abuse of power by an out-of-control hospital and bureaucracy that was stunning in its tyrannical reach, but still the exception to the rule. Few ever dreamed in their wildest nightmare that this was common, everyday practice all over the United States and other countries. Silence and shame surrounded the families to which this kind of thing happened, and it may well be that the explosion of stories that have come out in the years since then may be attributed to Lou Pelletier's boldness in speaking out, opening the floodgates for others to come out of the shadows and speak up. What have we learned since then? Has anything changed?

California Mom Fights to Get Child Back Removed from Hospital at Birth

Excerpts: Eight years ago, Melinda Garrett was induced into labor a month and a half before her due date. To Melinda, the baby represented a new beginning, a way to right all the wrongs and trauma and abuse she herself had endured as the survivor of childhood sexual and physical abuse, sex trafficking and a previously stillborn birth. She swore to break the cycle of abuse and to give everything she never had as a child to her newborn baby. She was never given that chance. Shortly after Melinda finished successfully breastfeeding the baby for the very first time, CPS removed the newborn from her custody. She never left the hospital with her baby.

Arizona CPS Uses Police-State Tactics to Kidnap Safe Children

Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), under fire for its skyrocketing rate of child removals in recent years, was just exposed for a new policy which allowed social workers to secretly record interviews with parents or caregivers suspected of crimes using a controversial and questionable technology meant to detect lying. The Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA), which a DCS spokesperson labeled a “new tool,” isn’t really new at all, and appears to have almost zero validity. One independent study found the lie detector was "no better than flipping a coin." The CVSA policy had only been recently implemented late last December. Gregg Woodnick, a Phoenix family law attorney whose practice defends families against DCS charges, unearthed the new policy and after confronting DCS legal counsel, notified local TV station 12 News. Woodnick said DCS was effectively performing polygraphs on people without their consent. After 12 News notified Arizona’s DCS they were doing a story on the secret recordings, an agency spokeswoman, Cynthia Weiss, said the policy was being "rescinded." The covert audio story, which broke March 20, ran a week after Health Impact News/Medical Kidnap interviewed Woodnick to discuss the state of Arizona’s DCS.

Massachusetts Senior Citizen and Attorney Medically Kidnapped – Estate Plundered – Represents National Epidemic

Retired lawyer Marvin Siegel of Boxford, Massachusetts, has lived an isolated and heavily-medicated existence, against his will and wishes, after court proceedings in August in 2011 resulted in his being placed under a court-appointed guardianship and conservatorship that his family considers to be unlawful. His meticulous estate planning has been eviscerated, and millions of dollars continue to be plundered from the 88-year-old’s estate. He is being held prisoner in his own home, under medical providers that his daughter has termed "24/7 guards." Meanwhile, his daughters Attorney Lisa Siegel Belanger and Devora Kaiser tirelessly advocate for him in the court system, despite those who are working vigorously to shut them out of their father’s life. At this point, those in charge of Mr. Siegel’s estate have drained half of the retired attorney’s approximate nine-million-dollar estate deceptively and fraudulently, according to Lisa. Further, as Lisa began to research her father’s case, she uncovered a network of corruption within the family and probate court system of Essex County, where the case is, as well as in other Massachusetts counties. The daughters’ court documents allege fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering, involving 40 litigants in the Siegel case alone. Lisa states that the medical kidnapping and plundering of senior citizens' estates is common, as they target poor and rich alike: "The scary part of it is that this is not an isolated incident. This is business as usual. It is a pattern of isolate. Medicate. Liquidate. It doesn’t matter the amount of a person’s estate, even if a person has virtually nothing to their name. The fact that an elder is receiving some sort of government benefit that automatically brings you into their clutches. People don’t realize that it affects basically everyone."

Arizona DCF Tries to Stifle Free Speech in Medical Kidnapping Case – Demands Our Stories of Coumpy Family be Taken Down

At the same time that Arizona lawmakers have rejected common sense bills to protect families from abuse of power by dishonest social workers, an Arizona mother is battling the Arizona Department of Children and Families (DCF) to get her children back. Aprilli Coumpy has completed everything asked of her, but her children are still not back home. It has been more than 2 years since her children were seized after what both Aprilli and her pediatrician termed an accidental incident, in which her toddler was burned when his 6 and 7 year old siblings accidentally spilled hot noodles on him when they decided to surprise their mommy with breakfast. Never in a million years did the single mom of 5 dream that the state could have so much power as to take all of her children away for something that could happen in any home in the world. Others connected with her case believe that the DCF case manager, Lisa Millett, simply does not like Aprilli Coumpy, thus nothing that the mother does appears to be good enough. Recently, Arizona DCF case manager Lisa Millett has demanded that Aprilli take down the Medical Kidnap articles from the internet. Apparently Ms. Millett does not understand that Freedom of the Press doesn't work like that. Such strong arm tactics by government employees may have been used in Nazi Germany or in Communist countries that desire to hide their actions from the public, but the U.S. still has something called The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Parents don't publish the articles on MedicalKidnap.com, and they cannot take them down. Health Impact News interviews parents and publishes their stories under the protections of the 1st Amendment Freedom of the Press. We will, however, publish a copy of the email that we have received.

Arizona: Battleground for State-sponsored Child Kidnappings – Highest in the Nation

A fight is raging across Arizona – parents, foster parents, activists, lawyers and even the Arizona Republic are refusing to back down against the state’s apathetic resistance to real, meaningful solutions for its outrageous record as the top state in the nation for child removals. Arizona has taken children out of their homes at a rate far higher than any other state in the country. And Phoenix (Maricopa county) ranks as the city with the highest rate of child removals by CPS – higher than New York, L.A., or any other major U.S. city. The state’s shameful record goes back a decade or more, and frequently opposition has been disconnected or silenced. More and more families have been destroyed, children lost, and lives broken. But no more – activists, legislators and local media are gaining strength and momentum.

Baby’s Health Rapidly Declines After Receiving 13 Vaccines at One Time – Mom Accused of Abuse for Disagreeing with Doctors

A young Georgia mother had no idea that a routine trip to the pediatrician's office for her son's 1 year check-up would change her son's life forever, and leave her fighting the state for custody of her own son. When the nurse-practitioner told her that her son was a little behind on his shots and they would need to catch up, Durenda Whitehead didn't question the need for the vaccines. She did, however, question the safety of giving 13 vaccines at once. Durenda's pediatrician assured her that it was fine: "I can give up to 20 at one time." She said that they told her at the pediatrician's office to give him some Tylenol, and to "play extra hard with him when he gets home." Over the next few days, Durenda reports that KJ was sleeping much more than usual, only waking to eat. She describes his rapid decline: "I noticed my son didn't attempt to follow me as usual and he started to cry. I called his name so he would come to me, but his cry only got louder. When I came back in the room to see why he wasn't coming, he leaned his body forward and reached for me... He had this 'help me' look in his eyes while he continued to cry." However, Durenda soon learned that doctors are reluctant to look at vaccines as a cause of harm, and she soon found herself in the hospital being confronted with law enforcement taking away her son because she dared to disagree with a doctor.

California Mom Who Lost New-born Baby at Hospital Cleared of Drug Charges, but Still Does Not Have Children Back

A beloved California schoolteacher is still fighting to get her children back 9 months after they were ripped away from her by Child Protective Services. Lori Ibrahim's two-day old breastfeeding baby was seized by Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) after Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center accused her of drug abuse. The only drugs in her system were properly prescribed medications, but social workers used the positive drug screen as grounds to seize baby Youssef and his 5-year old brother Kian. Since that time, Lori has allegedly cooperated with every demand that DCFS has placed on her, including submission to a gag order to be silent and take down her Facebook page. Social workers have created an image of the mother to present to the court which seems to serve their apparent agenda of keeping the family apart. The reports, however, from the psychologist and other therapists that Lori has been compelled to see paint a vastly different picture. That picture is consistent with the reports from those who have worked with Lori and the parents whose young children Lori has taught in school during her 15 year career, a career that is now closed to her because of the DCFS allegations. Lori Ibrahim presented evidence to Health Impact News and to the court that she was innocent of the charges that were used to seize her children. The court has reportedly dismissed the substance abuse allegations, finding that, as she said from the very beginning, she was only taking properly prescribed medications. Yet, it hasn't made a difference - her boys are still not home.

Pennsylvania Court Attempts to Censor Social Media Exposure of Former Amish Mom Fighting to Get Kids Back

A mother who is fighting the Child Protective Service system to get her children back was threatened during a mediation hearing last week. Elizabeth Byler of Pennsylvania, who grew up in an Amish community, appeared at the hearing without her lawyer present, due to her attorney's scheduling conflict. Byler was allegedly given an ultimatum by court officials—to take down the Justice4theBylers Facebook page "or else," they would “come after” her. Elizabeth told them that she did not start the page and does not have administrator access to the page. However, she was reportedly called a liar, and they demanded that she delete the account right there. As she pulled up Facebook on her phone to try to access the page settings, she told the officials: "I can’t access it. I’m not an administrator." Later, the administration of the page posted: "We have the utmost respect for Elizabeth Byler, but understand that, though you may be able to control her with threats, you cannot control us. She is powerless to compel us in any way to take down this page. And we are watching. We just want you to do the right thing. This is about the Freedom of Speech of fellow Americans to speak about the injustice that is happening to the Byler family, and to thousands of other families across the United States, and, indeed, the world. This is about Freedom of the Press, as well. Social media IS media. As such, we have the Constitutional Freedom to report on news that is happening to this family and others."

Tennessee Judge Gives Dying Father Chance to Defend Himself in Effort to Regain Custody of Children

In a Facebook Live video, Michael Brooks gave an update on his case in Tennessee. He and Jamie had been in court that morning and were expecting Judge Clayburn Peeples to terminate their parental rights to their two sons. But, in an interesting turn of events, the couple left court that day with their parental rights still in place. Also, due to not having a lawyer present, Michael was given a 60-day window to prepare to present his case to the court again. Michael Brooks is dying from Hepatitis C. His disease was under control while using medical cannabis, but he was forced to give up his medication due to Tennessee laws as he tried to meet requirements to get his children back from the Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS).