Arizona DCS Arrests Melissa Diegel as “Fugitive from Justice” While Living in Florida

Melissa Diegel is an Arizona mother who had her two daughters medically kidnapped back in 2014 for disagreeing with their doctors. Her story was covered by Health Impact News and inspired the beginning of our MedicalKidnap.com website. The Daily Caller is reporting that Diegel is being charged in an eight count indictment, and has been extradited from Florida, where she has lived since 2017, and is now incarcerated in an Arizona jail. Diegel lost her long battle with the State of Arizona and never had her two daughters returned. But apparently Arizona was not content to let Diegel move on with her life, and is now charging her with "child abuse" for seeking medical treatment for her daughters from 2011 through 2014, and prosecuting her as a "fugitive from justice." Diegel stated that she suspects Arizona may be worried about a lawsuit, since her oldest daughter is about to turn 18.

Arizona Mom Loses Battle to Regain Daughters Medically Kidnapped – Pleads for Someone to Adopt Them

An Arizona court has ruled that the Diegel sisters are now eligible for adoption, and have terminated all of Melissa Diegel's rights to her children. In a recently released video, this mother displays an incredible act of love for the children that CPS will no longer allow her to parent. She pleads for someone good to step up and adopt her children, so that, if they cannot be with their family, they will at least be with good people who will love and care for them. It is a plea that no loving parent should ever be forced to make. Melissa received the shattering news from the courts that Judge Kristin Hoffman has ruled to sever all of her and her ex-husband's parental rights to Kayla and Hannah. It was the day before Christmas Eve. She was devastated, and could not bring herself to make the bitter announcement to her supporters until recently. Health Impact News has covered the Diegel Family story since October of 2014. The Diegel Family story spawned a slew of families contacting Health Impact News with similar stories in Arizona, and around the country, and was the genesis for the birth of MedicalKidnap.com.

Adoption and Fostering for Profit: An Arizona Mom Who Lost her Children Exposes A Corrupt System

Are you aware of the fact that adoptive families are compensated if they adopt a special needs child? This is known as a maintenance subsidy which falls under the umbrella of the adoption subsidy. Adoptive families receive this adoption subsidy if the children they adopt are special needs children in the state of AZ. Let’s stop here for a minute. I am the mom of two special needs children. I love them dearly. Most special needs moms I know would not give up their kids. There you have it, there is one of the problems.WHERE DID THEY GET THESE KIDS? I have read thousands of cases now. I have met hundreds of families. Many of these special needs children were wrongfully removed - horrifically separated for profit!

Arizona Mother Speaks Out on Medical Kidnapping of Her Daughters

My trial has finally started in Arizona. My family's case isn't tiny; nobody's is when it involves children's lives. For my family, it has been 14 months since both my daughters Kayla and Hannah Diegel were taken. I have seen the most horrifying images. They are etched into my brain as if a hot iron has seared it there. I not only had my children taken, but now I have become an outspoken advocate, a writer, an activist, a fighting mother that was falsely accused. Suddenly, I have found myself amongst thousands of families who are now intertwined with mine, and I can feel their pain because I know their pain...... because I LIVE THEIR PAIN. I too know what it is like to have a child ripped from my arms and taken from my home. Time keeps moving, but it's like my heart has stopped.

Arizona Mother Facing Jail Time for Speaking out Against Medical Kidnapping

Melissa Diegel has until Monday (May 18th) to turn over all the contact information, including phone numbers and emails, of every single person that she has communicated with about her daughters, or an Arizona judge says she will go to jail. Does an Arizona court have a right to your name, address, phone number, and email, if you communicated with Melissa Diegel? If you are one of the many parents going through a similar situation, and you reached out to Mrs. Diegel as an understanding ear, are you willing for her to give all of your contact information to a judge? Will this order have a chilling effect on the public's Constitutional Freedom of Speech?

Arizona Families Hold Umbrella Rally on Anniversary of Diegel Sisters Medical Kidnapping

It has been a year now since Melissa Diegel's daughters, Kayla and Hannah, were seized by Arizona CPS and Phoenix Children's Hospital, one year since that horrible week last April when the Diegel sisters joined the ranks of not hundreds, but thousands of children in foster care in Arizona, many of whom are believed to be there unjustly. The Diegel story helped to thrust the issue of medical kidnapping into the national spotlight. In commemoration of the painful anniversary, other families and supporters joined together for an Arizona State House Umbrella Rally, to "rally for the 17,000 Arizona children currently in State Care." Umbrellas have become a symbol for these children, starting out as simply a tribute to the Diegel sisters because Hannah has always loved umbrellas. As the number of supporters grew, the umbrellas have come to symbolize much more, as a rallying cry for activists fighting to bring these children home: "All children belong under the protective umbrella of loving parents."

Arizona Mother of Two Girls Medically Kidnapped Breaks Gag Order and Speaks Out

A mother of two young girls in Arizona breaks a gag order issued by the court, in the hope that people will come forward and help her and her two daughters, whom she claims are suffering in state custody. She has now been threatened with arrest for breaking her gag order. And this all began simply because she saw her daughters suffering with medical treatment, and wanted to seek a second doctor's opinion.

Life of 10 Year Old Girl in Medical Kidnapping Case May be in Danger!

Health Impact News has just learned that one of the Diegel girls who were seized by Phoenix Children's Hospital may be in critical condition due to a recent asthma attack. Hannah Diegel has chronic asthma, and is required to carry both a rescue inhaler and an epipen. However, now that she has been taken into State custody and separated from her mother by being put into foster care, there is evidence that this medical advice is NOT being followed. We received information today that Melissa Diegel received a phone call last night from her insurance company, informing her that Hannah's asthma condition was not under control. The fear is that Hannah is now either in ICU or a hospital suffering from a potential life-threatening asthma attack. And she is completely separated from her family by court order, simply because her mother disagreed with the medical treatment she was receiving, and wanted to switch doctors.

Girl Seized from Family in Medical Dispute In Grave Danger

In a medical kidnapping case in Arizona of two sisters that we reported on last Thursday, one of the girls, 12 year old Kayla Diegel, is reportedly in grave danger and in need of serious medical help she is not receiving from foster care. A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the two girls reportedly resigned from the case over ethical concerns about how the girls were being treated in foster care. Kayla in particular was losing weight due to the fact that her feeding tube had been removed. She has a condition called “Gastroparesis,” which is a partially paralyzed stomach. She cannot take in enough nutrients by mouth, and needs the feeding tube. She has reportedly lost 25% of her body weight.

10 and 12 Year Old Sisters Seized from Family by Hospital in Phoenix

In a case bearing several similarities to Justina Pelletier's family's experience with Boston Children's Hospital, and Isaiah Rider's family's experience with Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, 10 and 12 year old sisters have been seized by Phoenix Children's Hospital over a medical dispute. The mother has reportedly been ordered to not discuss the case with anyone, and has been forced to take down YouTube videos and a Facebook Page with over 3000 followers that was documenting the actions of Child Protection Services and doctors at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Kayla and Hannah Diegel suffer from congenital disorder of glycosylation, (CDG, a form of mitochondrial disease.) Part of their condition is also suffering with "Gastroparesis," which is a partially paralyzed stomach.