Medical Kidnapping: Is Big Pharma Responsible for the Majority of the Nearly Half Million Children Put into the U.S. Foster Care System?

Medical kidnapping of children may be far more prevalent than anyone has realized. When Health Impact News launched MedicalKidnap.com in October of 2014, we believed that these stories were only a small fraction of the larger group of Child Protective Services cases where children were taken away from their families. As we got deeper into our investigation, we realized that the problem was much more widespread than we ever could have imagined. We now know that medical issues are involved in at least half to as many as 80% of all the cases involving the removal of children from their homes.

Doctor Destroys Ohio Family with Shaken Baby Syndrome Accusation

Virginia Mount was a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful boys. She lived a normal and happy life with her boyfriend and two sons, Jace, 15 months old, and Colten, three years old. In their recreation time they enjoyed fishing, sailing, picnicking, and simply relaxing and playing together. On November 11, 2015, Jace stood up on top of the sofa. As he came tumbling down onto the floor, his arm broke and the whole world he lived in with his family, shattered to pieces. After the fall, as she waited in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital waiting room in Columbus, Ohio, Virginia felt as if time had frozen. Initially, she didn’t think the fall was very serious. After all, it was just a tumble. But when he was transferred from their local hospital to this one, Virginia felt a knot form in her stomach. At that point, though, her greatest fear was merely that Jace would have to endure the physical pain of an injury. She had no idea that her entire family was about to be destroyed, that both her sons would suffer the devastating trauma of losing their families, possibly forever, and that she would be incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.

Child Abuse Pediatricians: An “Ethically Bankrupt” Profession that Destroys Families

"I do not think that you can get a fair child abuse trial before a jury anywhere in the country… I do not care how sophisticated or law smart jurors are, when they hear that a child has been abused, a piece of their mind closes up, and this goes for the judge, the jurors, and all of us. …we do not care whether it is the right individual or not. Somebody should be punished for this heinous crime." –Abner Mivka, Former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals/District of Columbia Circuit Judge Mikva’s assertion, that child abuse might affect jury verdicts, is used to illustrate “generic prejudice.” But it’s not just judges and juries that are prejudiced. Child abuse pediatricians, doctors, their institutions, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the entire system of Child Protective Services (CPS) and law enforcement are all too often guilty of generic prejudice as well. As thousands of innocent families increasingly become subject to heinous accusations of child abuse by pediatricians and doctors, the tragedy of false accusations and convictions is increasing. But the medical and child protection system’s lack of impartiality is just the tip of the iceberg. More shocking are the many ways in which the medical profession and its child abuse pediatric specialty hide stereotyping, arrogance, abuse of authority and twisted “science” when it claims to “diagnose” child abuse – which is in fact a legal allegation, not truly a medical diagnosis. With agonizing slowness, as families’ stories are told, some are finally beginning to look more closely and question the assumptions on which child abuse pediatrics are based.

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.

Canadian Boy Dies in Foster Care – Now His Mother Is Speaking Out About Medical Kidnappings in Canada

It was 7 years ago that Crystal Carifelle saw her son for the last time. It had been 3 years since she had seen him when she received a phone call that her little boy was dying. She and his daddy raced to the hospital where she was told that she had 5 minutes to say goodbye, but she wasn't permitted to touch him. When she reached out to touch him, security guards escorted her away. They told her shortly after that he was gone. According to APTN National News, she said she believes that if the foster family would’ve taken Ashton to hospital sooner, he may still be alive. Crystal was told that her son had diarrhea for the previous 12 days and started running a fever. He died from dehydration. The foster family reportedly knew the 4 year old was sick, but "not that sick," and they didn't take him to the hospital until it was too late. Ashton was taken by Child Protective Services when he was 9 months old. He was born premature and had some medical issues. After he had a severe seizure, social workers came to the hospital and seized him from his mother's custody, accusing her of endangering him. But it was in CPS' care that he died, arguably from medical neglect.

Medically Kidnapped Senior in New York Hospital “Wasting Away”

Montefiore Wakefield Hospital in the Bronx, New York has allegedly refused to release Laredo Regular’s grandfather, Julius, from confinement within its walls. Has Julius Corley been a pawn in a Medicaid fraud claim? Why was Julius allowed to waste away to 135 lbs while in Montefiore Hospital when he could and would eat for his family, and when allowed to see his loved ones and those who cared about him, and could and would speak on his own behalf? Why, although the hospital claims that "sometimes dementia patients are in denial," was Mr. Corley able to speak well enough and was lucid enough for the hospital to honor his request to not have a feeding tube inserted—for over three and a half months? The family believes that someone in that hospital has a conscience, that someone there still believes that they are helping people have better lives. This is not a good life for Julius, nor anyone else who is suffering there. Speak up. Speak out!

Another Baby Medically Kidnapped in South Carolina over Broken Bones – Parents Thrown in Jail

Jason and Mattie Walls from South Carolina took their frail, premature daughter to the emergency room after she became limp and was not breathing properly. What followed next was a chain of events resulting in every parents' worst nightmare: The seizure of their daughter and removal from their custody, and charges made against them for child abuse which resulted in spending time in jail - all because they took their baby to the hospital looking for help.

Homebirthed Newborn Medically Kidnapped at Illinois Children’s Hospital

The date was May 23, 2012. It was a beautiful midwife-assisted homebirth: a planned water birth and lotus birth. Mother Dontia, father Armondo, big brother Deon, and new baby sister Asaliah, were all happy and doing great after the birth. However, concerns regarding redness around the umbilical cord at Asaliah’s navel caused mom to seek medical treatment on June 8, 2012, at the OSF St. Francis Children’s Hospital in Peoria, Illinois. Little did Dontia know that this seemingly unassuming trip to the E.R., seeking help for her baby’s infection, would reportedly end up completely destroying her life by removing both her 11 year-old son and her newborn baby from her custody, violating what she claims is her constitutional right to religious freedom, and later, while still in the midst of fighting CPS for her medically kidnapped children, sending her into a life of hiding and secrecy to protect the life of her third unborn child. Deon is now 14, Asaliah is now 3, and her third child (un-named to conceal her identity and protect her from being seized), is now 2. Dontia has not seen or spoken to Deon in three years, nor has she had visitations with Asaliah since she fled Illinois, unable to bear the loss of another child. Dontia and her third child remain in hiding today. This is her story.

Medical Kidnapping in Maine: Child with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & Sister Seized – Grandfather Commits Suicide

Brandon and Cynthia Ross became concerned after noticing their baby’s leg was swollen. Even though Ryder was not crying excessively, had no bruises, red marks, or any outward signs of injury other than the swelling, the couple took him to the doctor for an examination. After performing some x-rays and finding the infant with multiple fractures throughout his body, the doctors sent the family to the Maine Medical Center (MMC) for further evaluation. Before the couple understood the depths of the evaluation, they were deemed guilty of child abuse by officials at MMC. Six days after Ryder was admitted to the hospital, the state of Maine chose to remove both Ryder and his two year old sister Rosalynn from their parents’ care. On June 12, 2014 Brandon, a twenty-five year old father, was indicted on twelve counts of child abuse and was arrested by Bath, Maine police. After being transported to the local jail, he received death threats from other inmates. The threats were taken so seriously that the jail provided Brandon with private accommodations for his safety. On Father’s Day of 2014, just days after Brandon’s arrest, after telling the family he believed the state was out to get Brandon, Ryder’s seventy-four year old grandfather committed suicide, after writing a note falsely claiming responsibility for Ryder’s injuries. In October of 2014, the true cause of the baby’s fractures was finally discovered. The little guy suffered from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). He, his mother, and his grandmother were diagnosed by Dr. Michael Holick at the Boston University Medical Center.

Doctor Involved in Arizona Medical Kidnapping Case to Face Charges Before Arizona Medical Board

On Wednesday June 3, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. the Arizona Medical Board will review the complaint against the State of Arizona’s expert witness on child abuse cases, Kathryn Coffman, M.D. The meeting will take place at 9535 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Coffman is named a defendant in a federal lawsuit currently pending in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court by Leanna Smith, who has sued the State of Arizona, CPS, and doctors in the medical kidnapping of her two daughters. Leanna Smith had her daughters removed from her custody based on the testimony of doctors who accused her of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, but what Leanna Smith claims was an attempt to cover up medical malpractice. Dr. Coffman was the lead doctor and expert on "child abuse" involved in the case. The public will apparently have 3 minutes to make comments in the case against Dr. Kathryn Coffman in her hearing before the Arizona Medical Board. Parent advocates are encouraging any other parents who may have become victims to medical kidnappings in Arizona due to the testimony of Dr. Coffman to attend the hearings.

Mom Who Lost 2 Daughters to Medical Kidnapping in Arizona Speaks Out Regarding Abuses

In a shocking interview recorded on the Robert Scott Bell Show Thursday January 29th, 2015, Leanna Smith gave details of how her two daughters were taken away by medical authorities and CPS in Arizona, and explained how her youngest daughter has allegedly been sexually and mentally abused while in State custody. While allegations have been made against the parents as a reason for removing their two daughters, apparently no criminal charges have ever been filed against either the father or the mother. So why did Arizona take these two children away from their biological parents?

Boy Held by Chicago Hospital in Medical Kidnapping Case Returns Home

Local Fox News affiliate Fox4kc in Kansas City has reported that 17-year-old Isaiah Rider has returned home to Kansas City, even though the State of Illinois still retains his custody rights. Isaiah was released from Luries Children’s Hospital in Chicago where he was being held against his will, and the will of his family. He is reportedly staying with grandparents while his mother fights back against "medical abuse" charges for disagreeing with the hospital's treatment and wanting to transfer him to a different hospital. Isaiah lost 5 months of his life to confinement in a hospital, and is now anxious to get back to school and resume his life. Isaiah's mother Michelle believes they held her son to conduct medical experimentation on his rare disease, Neurofibromatosis. Michelle will return to Chicago Friday to face trial. But in the meantime, at least Isaiah is back home in Kansas City, staying with his grandparents.