Justice for the Wilkinsons

TW: mention of abuse, police, and CPS

19.

That’s how many days our daughter was wrongfully kept from our home.

The end of February through the month of March were the worst weeks of our lives as we fought through a horrible custody battle with the Department of Children and Youth (DCYF - also known as CPS) based off of horrendous allegations made by doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH).

What started as a simple urgent care visit to address something wrong with Quoia’s arm turned into us being transferred to Seattle Children’s Hospital, questioned by social workers and Seattle Police, and accused of child abuse.

There is a group of doctors that make up the Safe Child and Adolescent Network (SCAN) that, upon taking a ridiculous number of x-rays of Sequoia’s body, determined she had multiple unexplained injuries. Because these so called injuries could not be explained, they determined that they were better understood as injuries caused by “non accidental trauma” … in other words child abuse.

Any of you who know us know what EGREGIOUS claims these are. We were horrified. First, because our baby girl supposedly had something going on with her bone structure that resulted in these health concerns, and secondly that instead of getting to the bottom of what could be causing this, we were told that we as her LOVING parents “had” to be responsible for inflicting intentional harm on our daughter.

I could go on and on about how we feel about these claims, but will put it simply: THESE.CLAIMS.ARE.FALSE.

Sequoia had to undergo a simple procedure to fix her arm, which went well. We were discharged the next day, but not before we were told by hospital social workers that we were not allowed to be alone with Quoia due to “safety concerns”. We needed a trusted family member to supervise us with her at all times moving forward. Confused and enraged, we asked my incredible mom to be with us and she, without hesitancy agreed. From there we stayed at her home in Tacoma.

The next day, CPS social workers came to my moms home and told us that a doctor at SCH had found more concerning injuries on Quoia’s scans and because of this, was very concerned for her safety. These “injuries” were not made known to us, her PARENTS, after we left the hospital. Instead, Seattle Police Department took state custody of Sequoia and then transferred custody to CPS to then determine who would hold custody of her. My mom was given primary custody and we were told that we were legally required to not stay with Sequoia overnight at my moms. We could have supervised visits during the day, but then would have to leave at night. If we did not agree to this, Sequoia would be taken into state custody and be put into foster care - with complete strangers. Our hands were completely tied and we had no other choice but to agree.

So, for 19 days, we would make the drive from Seattle to Tacoma in the early morning, and then have to say goodbye to Quoia and drive home to an empty apartment - without her. I can’t describe to you the absolute dread we felt. The kind of dread and grief that makes it hard to breathe, to think. You want to cry but don’t have the energy to. It was the worst feeling either of us had ever experienced.

Thankfully, we were able to find and hire an attorney. We can’t thank our family members enough who made that possible for us. Our attorney saved us from signing a document that would have tied our hands even more because we weren’t made aware of our rights.

The next few days were full of getting second opinions from other doctors and building a case to prove that not only were we NOT responsible for these disgusting allegations, but that our little family was being targeted by a corrupted and unjust system.

To put it shortly, here were some of the claims that were made by the CPS team as we went through court testimony:

Our family was proving to be uncooperative with CPS social workers

We were canceling important appointments and were not taking into consideration Sequoia’s physical health

Sam was not present at an appointment due to concerns of sexual and physical abuse (mind you, the ONE appointment Sam missed was because he absolutely had to go to work so he wouldn’t lose his job)

In order to safely have Sequoia back home, we needed to participate in multiple CPS services and I needed to undergo a mental health evaluation

We went through a court trial for three days where we had to hear horrible allegations and I personally testified and was questioned, all while continuing to not be able to have Sequoia home with us. The absolute exhaustion and pain we experienced is indescribable.

Ultimately, we had a judge that saw our truth. The evidence from credible and far more experienced doctors on our team, holes in the opposing side's claims, along with my personal testimony made it more than clear that not only were we not responsible for inflicting intentional harm on Sequoia, but that we were put through the most traumatic experience due to a corrupt system and individuals who had twisted agendas.

We are sharing our story because our family is not the only one. We wouldn’t have found our attorney if we hadn’t heard of another story of a family who went through almost the exact same situation. The more and more we dug, the more stories we found. This is not only statewide, but a national injustice that continues to tear children from their families.

THIS.HAS.TO.STOP.

So here’s what we are asking from you, loved ones:

Share our story. We will be posting this on all social media platforms.

Our story has also been picked up by a reporter with Q13, and will be broadcast within the next week where more details of our case will be shared.

Please share our GoFundMe and consider donating if you are able. We have had no choice but to undergo major financial stress with ongoing legal fees, Sam having to miss nearly a month of work, medical fees, along with now needing to move.

If you are the praying type, we long for your prayers. Our souls are torn up and the grief hits us daily. We are grateful that we have loved ones who have surrounded us and held us when we’ve needed it the most.

We are fighting for justice. For our baby girl, ourselves, and for families who have and are going through this horrible experience at the hand of corrupted power.

With gratitude for your support,

Grace, Sam & Baby Sequoia Wilkinson