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Hello, I am Debbie, trying desperately to right a wrong involving CPS and their decision involving my granddaughter who was severely injured. On July 10, 2007 she had a life threatening head injury which led to immediate brain surgery.
I would like to state for the record that my daughter is innocent, she has done nothing wrong. She is a loving, first time mom who is very assertive in the care, happiness, health and well being of her child.
Megan (my daughter) was sharing a life with her then boyfriend (we will call him Brad) and his six year old son. While Megan was running errands on July 10, 2007, Brad was caring for Adia and his son. Upon returning, Megan was told that Brad’s mother (an emergency pediatric nurse) came to visit. Brad’s mother went to change Adia’s diaper and states while trying to avoid getting her scrubs soiled, she held Adia away from her body. Adia leaned back and fell onto a carpeted floor causing this horrific injury. Due to the circumstances of this injury and a previous accidental burn, CPS is trying to charge my daughter with “Failure to Protect” her child.
The burn incident - In one fell swoop, Megan had lit several candles and incense when she heard Adia cry out. Rushing to pick her up out of the walker with hot lighter still in hand, it touched her stomach causing a burn. Megan took Adia to the doctor the very next day. A detective visited Megan at her home and after having her reenact the scene, found it to be an accident and closed the case.
Events which occurred while out of Megan’s care:
1. Acute Life Threatening Event:
Megan’s ex-boyfriend was caring for Adia and his son while she was at work. He noticed Adia had briefly quit breathing and called Megan to inform her. Frantic, she left work immediately to take Adia to the hospital where several tests and x-rays were run. Since Adia appeared healthy, the only conclusion the doctor could come up with was an “acute life threatening event”.
2. Bump, diaper rash & thresh:
Megan, her ex-boyfriend, his mother, and his six year old son went out of town to celebrate the boy’s birthday leaving Adia in the supervision of her biological father for five days. During this time Adia acquired a large, hard bump on the back of her head, a severe diaper rash and thresh mouth. The day before Megan’s return, she and Adia’s father agreed to let me (maternal grandmother) have Adia overnight. I picked up Adia from daycare and noticed she seemed lethargic. Adia’s father called me, I informed him of this and he replied “Oh, she’s probably just tired” and then informed me of a diaper rash and cream in her diaper bag.
Adia and I went to my sister’s home (Deanna) and it was then that my sister and I discovered a severe diaper rash, the worst either of us have ever seen, and a large, hard bump on the back of her head. I called Megan immediately; she informed me she was returning home late that evening.
The next day Megan took Adia to the hospital to have the bump and rash examined. It was also discovered that Adia had thresh. Upon a follow up visit with Adia’s doctor, Megan asked what could have caused a bump like this, the doctor said Adia didn’t weigh enough to cause such a big bump by falling, something heavier than she had to have caused it.
Megan asked Adia’s father how the bump happened, he said she fell in her crib and then later said the bump occurred while she was in daycare.
A mutual friend of Megan and Adia‘s father, confided that she had noticed the bump on Adia’s head while visiting Adia‘s father. She realized it was bad and told the father that he needed to take Adia to the hospital. The father replied “Adia will be ok”.
3. Adia is left alone:
The previously mentioned mutual friend told Megan about a time she found Adia alone in her crib at her father’s apartment; Adia was 9 months old. The friend stayed with Adia until the father showed up an hour and a half later.
Our family has learned that anyone can become a predator, even someone you have known so well. Brad, now Megan’s ex-boyfriend, was well liked by all, being a favorite uncle and a true friend to many, a loving son and loving father. Certainly not one people would take as a predator; very similar to the demeanor of Ted Bundy.
Brad (Megan’s ex-boyfriend) and Adia’s biological father were best friends until Megan and Brad became involved. The biological father had known Brad for 10 years (had actually lived with Brad and his mother) and Megan knew him for six years, and never did Brad display any signs that he was capable of hurting a child.
Discrimination, Lies and Deceit by CPS:
Megan, I, my husband and my sister, feel we have been badly treated by CPS and our family’s integrity has been attacked. We were singled out by CPS as a threat to Adia. As previously mentioned, Megan is very aggressive in the care of her child and has taken Adia to every doctor and hospital visit with the exception of one visit, and has all the documentation backing this statement.
At the hospital the evening of July 10, 2007, an investigation was enforced and the stories of Megan’s ex-boyfriend, his mother and his son, were not consistent. To date, there have been no convictions and the case against the ex-boyfriend and his mother has been closed. After having asked several questions as to why they (CPS) want to blame Megan for everything, she was told by her case manager “Well Megan, they want someone to be responsible.
At the hospital, after Adia’s brain surgery, CPS told us that none of the family members where allowed in her room. No one could believe this was happing, for at a time when Adia needed her mother the most and Megan needed her, CPS separated them. I pleaded with CPS that one of us be allowed to stay in the room with Adia so she would not be alone. At that time, I realized we needed to seek legal counsel as it seemed my daughter’s parental rights were being violated by not allowing her in her daughter’s room. It was only later that night that all family members were allowed back in.
Megan’s ex-boyfriend’s sister who arrived at the hospital wearing scrubs, informed me of an attorney who might be able to assist us with the issue of parental rights. I brought her into Adia’s room where she handed Megan the phone number to the attorney. Right at that moment the CPS case manager and her assistant called me out to the hallway. The case manager became very aggressive, invading my personal space, got loud and badgered me about bringing this women into the room. She accused me of sneaking someone in who was impersonating a nurse. This was not true; the women had just come from work still dressed in her scrubs. As I tried to apologize to the CPS case manager she continued, without ceasing, to badger me relentlessly.
That night we where told only one of us, either the paternal grandmother or myself, could spend the night with Adia. The CPS case manger discussed with me, my husband and the paternal grandmother the decision of who would be allowed to stay the night with Adia. I mentioned that Adia did not know the paternal grandmother very well and felt it important that someone she was more familiar with be by her side. I was told to be quiet or I would be removed from the room.
As the CPS case manger continued, the paternal grandmother said that Adia’s two families did not get along; my husband replied that we really didn’t know her except for meeting at Adia’s birth. Once again the case manager threatened to have us removed if we did not remain quite. During our conversations with the CPS manger, my husband and I noticed there was prejudice that had been formed against us. These are only some of the incidences regarding the abuse we have received from CPS. We are willing to share the details.
My daughter Megan was also abused by the same case manger. We both filed two separate grievances against the case manager who mistreated us. She was then promoted and without the proper permissions, took our case with her. We immediately addressed this in a complaint which led to her removal of our case. A new case manager was assigned.
Before the new case manager was assigned, severance was the objective for Megan. Now reunification is the objective. However, the biological father has favor with CPS and the
Foster Care Review Board. He is being praised for his efforts in “Anger Management” counseling and “Substance abuse treatment for alcoholism“. In a matter of five months (give or take a month), CPS is seemingly stating that he is rehabilitated. This man is self proclaimed to having blackouts from drinking. This is the man whom CPS is comfortable giving unsupervised visits with Adia.
Megan has no anger or substance abuse problems. She has completed the tasks required of her by CPS such as counseling, domestic violence, working through trauma, coping skills, and has completed several self studies, cooperated with police detectives and CPS, yet her efforts go unnoticed. Megan is allowed only four hours a week of supervised visitation with her daughter.
We are asking for any kind of support to fight for our rights and others. As a people, we need to protect America’s families in a fair and just matter. As President Ronald Reagan once said “You cannot have a strong, healthy nation without the family at its very base”. That very foundation is being compromised by the almost unlimited police powers given to CPS.
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