3 kids with 3 different dads
Jan 01, 2012OUTCOME: Findings of Neglect and Termination of Parental Rights are still up on appeal.
I have been the Law Guardian for the above case which was a case of neglect by the children's mother. She relinquished custody of the oldest of her 3 children, at the age of 3, to a friend of the fami ... ly because she thought the little girl was possessed by the devil. The house was filthy, the mother would leave the second child at the age of 4 to care for her baby brother. The baby fell off the bed once and the mother screamed and screamed at the 4 year old who feels guilty about it to this day. The mother had all sorts of strangers coming into and out of the house, 2 of which sexually abused the middle child. She allowed them back in the home after she found out about it because her boyfriend beat them up and she thought that was enough. She would sleep late into the day, letting the second child, when she was 2, to wander the home alone. The children were afraid to use the toilet because it was filthy and usually clogged, full. The children regularly had to find something to eat themselves. The mother would force the middle child to watch scary movies when she was very little then would make the faces of the characters in the movies to frighten her. The same girl was punished by having to stand in the corner, facing the wall with her arms out straight for an hour at a time. She was only 6 at the time. The county had services in the home for over 10 years and the mother still could not parent well. She is mentally ill. This second child's father obtained custody of her for a couple of months until the county started observing bruises on her. She was then back in the custody of the county. The mother finally cooperated with services, got on medication, and with the help of one of the fathers, was allowed to have a trial discharge of the children to her care. 4 days before the county decided enough cooperation and progress had been made by the mother and they would release the children back to her care, the mother and the father in the house were arrested for manufacturing and selling drugs out of the home. The children were obviously exposed to what was going on because the middle child was in counseling and would do anything to avoid going home, including soiling her pants at the end of counseling, begging her counselor not to take her home and clinging to her counselor's leg when she was trying to deliver her home. Both parents were convicted of the drug charges and went to prison. The case has gone on for so long, the mother was out of prison before the case was even over. Six trials were held, at one point 8 lawyers were involved and there was a finding of Neglect and later a finding which terminated the mother's parental rights. Both findings are up on appeal. I am handling one of the appeals. The oldest child has remained with the family friend, the middle child (who was the most traumatized because her older sister just visited and the younger brother, went out of state to live with his paternal grandparents at the age of 2) has a wonderful foster family. She is waiting to be adopted by them, and begged them to move out of town so there would be no chance of her ever running into or seeing her mother again.
