Help bring Zophia Salcido Home!
Donation protected
25 years ago I lost my entire female family, my biological father, Ramon Salcido murdered my Grandmother Louise Richards, my two Aunts Ruthie 12 and Maria 8, my Mother Angela Salcido, and my 2 siblings, Sofia 4, and youngest sister Theresa 24 months. I was the only one to survive, miraclously I was found 36 hours after Ramon cut my throat and left me for dead along with my sisters in a country dump. I celebrated my 3rd Birthday in the Petaluma Valley Hospital, now I face yet another calamity in my life.. face losing my daughter permanently to the system which is promising my daughter to the Foster Parents.
January 3rd 2013 I moved out of an unstable situation that me and my daughter were previously living at. I was looking for a place to live and work at the time.
Zophia was with the babysitter in Petaluma on January 11th, 2013, when I received a call that several phone calls had been made to CPS in concern to my daughters safety and well being, and to inform me they had taken her from the babysitter and were putting her into Emergency Foster Care.
They would not give me any reason as to whether or not they had a warrant for taking her, or any solid evidence aside from that they had asked the babysitter to call me and they could not get a hold of me so they were considering it abandonment of child. I was being called a drug addict and that I posed a danger to my daughter do to my “supposed drug addiction”
Zophia was taken to a Doctor as per procedure of CPS protocol when taking in a child into the system. There was no reported harm or evidence of any abuse per the check up and she was placed immediately with Foster Parents.
That very day I went to Petaluma Valley Hospital and took both a urine and blood drug test to wipe out any questions, suspicions and accusations of methamphetamine and cocaine use. The results came back before my very first Dependency Court date hearing and the results were negative of all substances except for Marijuana as I had / have a medical card and this was a proscribed natural medication recommended by 3 of my doctors in treatment for PTSD, insomnia and anxiety.
When I went to Court I was appointed a Dependency Legal Services Lawyer (Bonnie Alonso) she had a very short interview with me and told me to just do what she was recommending and do what CPS was going to ask me to do according to the “Case Plan.” Unknown to me what to do in this circumstance I submitted on the Social Workers report and accusations, which was basically the same as confessing to things that I never did and was not guilty of, and they did not even have to produce evidence to the contrary.
They wrote up a case plan which included admitting myself to DAAC, an outpatient drug rehab program, and start weekly Therapy sessions with Transitioning Families. There was set up times of supervised visitation with my daughter 2 times a week.
Till today they have not increased to anymore days per week I get to see my daughter.
I have followed though and completed CPI (California Parenting Institute) program, completed 36 sessions at DAAC for my marijuana use (even though I stopped using my medicinal marijuana before my DAAC classes started and was testing clean from that 3 weeks after they took Zophia.) I received 2 certificates of completion. I attended weekly Therapy sessions and Equine Therapy. I cut out the majority of previous friends and associates, I found work, got my own 3 bedroom home in Cotati by April of 2013 and got a car showing them I was stable, sufficient and dedicated to getting my daughter Zophia back.
My previous Attorney Bonnie Alonso got fired June 2014 for not doing her job properly. I have since obtained a Lawyer Jennifer Ani who is taking this case on pro bono, however there going to be costs for filing and hiring witnesses to testify at this up coming August Trial.
This case has been going on for 18 months and I’m out of time as the system here does not allow cases for children under 3 years of age to be drawn out longer than 18 months before finding them permanent placement or adoption.
Call it coincidence, but Zophia is the same age I was when I was adopted out of California to a couple in Missouri. It was a nightmare, and some of the most traumatizing years of my life due to the emotional, mental, verbal, physical and sexual abuse I was subjected to by my adoptive parents. On the outside they were the perfect couple / parents but what happened behind closed doors and curtains was a totally different story.
Zophia has already reported to me she has been slapped and there are cuts and bruising on her little arms since being in the system and foster care. Any attempt I make to point this out and ramify the situation is met by the social worker as me trying to sabotage Zophia's Foster-parents.
They've accused me of “Coaching my daughter into saying these things.” As her Mom, I would go to any measure to protect and care for my baby girl.
One cannot measure the amount of emotional and mental anguish I’ve endured over the separation of my daughter, I cry everyday, every visit I have ends in me getting depressed as my daughter has to be pried from my arms, crying out she wants to be with her Mommy. The worst of this all is my 3 and ½ year old daughter is suffering the most, she is confused, and suffers emotional and mental anxiety being separated from the me, who had rocked her to sleep, took her on walks, shared her laughs and comforted her when sad. There is an inseparable bond that Zophia and I have, and if you had the chance to meet her and ask her who she wants to be with, she would tell you herself, she wants to “go home to My Mommy Carmina”
I haven't always been the best at making life decisions, I have been too trusting in the past, and haven't set the best of boundaries, I haven't had the best foundation, or stability in life, in short I'm strong but I am not perfect and I have been learning as I go, learning from my mistakes and knowing better than to repeat those mistakes.
Im not looking for excuses, and I’m not looking for hand outs or a free ride. I just want that special someone (Zophia) back in my life, she has put so much meaning and purpose in my life after losing everyone and everything I held dear to me.
Anything you can contribute to the re-unification of my daughter coming back home where she belongs in the arms of a loving and concerned parent will be forever appreciated ~
Peace and Love,
Carmina Cecilia Salcido
January 3rd 2013 I moved out of an unstable situation that me and my daughter were previously living at. I was looking for a place to live and work at the time.
Zophia was with the babysitter in Petaluma on January 11th, 2013, when I received a call that several phone calls had been made to CPS in concern to my daughters safety and well being, and to inform me they had taken her from the babysitter and were putting her into Emergency Foster Care.
They would not give me any reason as to whether or not they had a warrant for taking her, or any solid evidence aside from that they had asked the babysitter to call me and they could not get a hold of me so they were considering it abandonment of child. I was being called a drug addict and that I posed a danger to my daughter do to my “supposed drug addiction”
Zophia was taken to a Doctor as per procedure of CPS protocol when taking in a child into the system. There was no reported harm or evidence of any abuse per the check up and she was placed immediately with Foster Parents.
That very day I went to Petaluma Valley Hospital and took both a urine and blood drug test to wipe out any questions, suspicions and accusations of methamphetamine and cocaine use. The results came back before my very first Dependency Court date hearing and the results were negative of all substances except for Marijuana as I had / have a medical card and this was a proscribed natural medication recommended by 3 of my doctors in treatment for PTSD, insomnia and anxiety.
When I went to Court I was appointed a Dependency Legal Services Lawyer (Bonnie Alonso) she had a very short interview with me and told me to just do what she was recommending and do what CPS was going to ask me to do according to the “Case Plan.” Unknown to me what to do in this circumstance I submitted on the Social Workers report and accusations, which was basically the same as confessing to things that I never did and was not guilty of, and they did not even have to produce evidence to the contrary.
They wrote up a case plan which included admitting myself to DAAC, an outpatient drug rehab program, and start weekly Therapy sessions with Transitioning Families. There was set up times of supervised visitation with my daughter 2 times a week.
Till today they have not increased to anymore days per week I get to see my daughter.
I have followed though and completed CPI (California Parenting Institute) program, completed 36 sessions at DAAC for my marijuana use (even though I stopped using my medicinal marijuana before my DAAC classes started and was testing clean from that 3 weeks after they took Zophia.) I received 2 certificates of completion. I attended weekly Therapy sessions and Equine Therapy. I cut out the majority of previous friends and associates, I found work, got my own 3 bedroom home in Cotati by April of 2013 and got a car showing them I was stable, sufficient and dedicated to getting my daughter Zophia back.
My previous Attorney Bonnie Alonso got fired June 2014 for not doing her job properly. I have since obtained a Lawyer Jennifer Ani who is taking this case on pro bono, however there going to be costs for filing and hiring witnesses to testify at this up coming August Trial.
This case has been going on for 18 months and I’m out of time as the system here does not allow cases for children under 3 years of age to be drawn out longer than 18 months before finding them permanent placement or adoption.
Call it coincidence, but Zophia is the same age I was when I was adopted out of California to a couple in Missouri. It was a nightmare, and some of the most traumatizing years of my life due to the emotional, mental, verbal, physical and sexual abuse I was subjected to by my adoptive parents. On the outside they were the perfect couple / parents but what happened behind closed doors and curtains was a totally different story.
Zophia has already reported to me she has been slapped and there are cuts and bruising on her little arms since being in the system and foster care. Any attempt I make to point this out and ramify the situation is met by the social worker as me trying to sabotage Zophia's Foster-parents.
They've accused me of “Coaching my daughter into saying these things.” As her Mom, I would go to any measure to protect and care for my baby girl.
One cannot measure the amount of emotional and mental anguish I’ve endured over the separation of my daughter, I cry everyday, every visit I have ends in me getting depressed as my daughter has to be pried from my arms, crying out she wants to be with her Mommy. The worst of this all is my 3 and ½ year old daughter is suffering the most, she is confused, and suffers emotional and mental anxiety being separated from the me, who had rocked her to sleep, took her on walks, shared her laughs and comforted her when sad. There is an inseparable bond that Zophia and I have, and if you had the chance to meet her and ask her who she wants to be with, she would tell you herself, she wants to “go home to My Mommy Carmina”
I haven't always been the best at making life decisions, I have been too trusting in the past, and haven't set the best of boundaries, I haven't had the best foundation, or stability in life, in short I'm strong but I am not perfect and I have been learning as I go, learning from my mistakes and knowing better than to repeat those mistakes.
Im not looking for excuses, and I’m not looking for hand outs or a free ride. I just want that special someone (Zophia) back in my life, she has put so much meaning and purpose in my life after losing everyone and everything I held dear to me.
Anything you can contribute to the re-unification of my daughter coming back home where she belongs in the arms of a loving and concerned parent will be forever appreciated ~
Peace and Love,
Carmina Cecilia Salcido
Organizer
Animrac Ailicec Odiclas
Organizer
