“Judge Adjudicated Me Innocent. I Still Don’t Have My Kids. Here’s Why.”

Heather’s Story

For three years, I have lived inside a nightmare I never imagined could happen in America.

I am a mother of three.

I am a nurse.

I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and systemic family-court abuse.

I did what every mother is supposed to do:

I reported abuse against my child.

The system did not protect him.

It turned on me.

The Truth the Court Acknowledged

On November 14, 2024, after a full-day hearing, the judge dismissed my CPS case and adjudicated me innocent in 58 minutes.

The judge stated that the burden of proof was not met.

I had passed everything, including years of drug and alcohol testing:

• Multiple drug and alcohol tests over several years
• Substance abuse risk assessment (no addiction)
• Parenting assessments (no neglect)
• Psychological evaluation (fit mother)

My therapist documented:

• PTSD from childhood sexual abuse
• Anxiety caused by prolonged legal trauma
• No danger to myself or my children

There was no evidence that I harmed or neglected my kids.

The court said so.

The Evidence They Ignored

What the evidence did show:

• My 4-year-old had welts on his back and sides (documented by police, CPS, and body camera)
• My son stated his father hit him with a stick (told to police, CPS, and me)
• I called law enforcement to report the abuse (body cam footage exists)
• I was experiencing a panic attack, not intoxication
• Officers refused to give me a breathalyzer when I asked

Yet the system labeled me the problem.

Where Things Stand Now

Despite being adjudicated innocent:

As of today, I only have unsupervised visits every other weekend — which I had to mediate to receive just two months ago.

My children remain primarily placed with:

• The father who hit my son
• The father who filed a false emergency custody order claiming I was on drugs (I passed all tests)
• Family members

Fifteen months after being cleared, I am still not restored as their primary parent.

What This Has Cost Me

I lost:

• My marital home and was forced to move out of the county
• My financial stability
• My career security
• My sense of safety
• My health

I developed PTSD and panic disorder from the trauma of being separated from my children by the very system meant to protect them.

This Is Not Justice. This Is Extraction.

The system profits from my separation:

• Supervised visitation fees (I paid for over 2 years)
• Evaluations (~$500 and more — I paid)
• Court-ordered therapy (I paid)
• Mediation (I paid)

If my children were returned:

• No more supervised visit fees
• No more evaluations 
• No more mediation

There is a financial incentive to keep my children from me — even after the court declared me innocent.

Why I’m Speaking Now

Because silence is how this continues.

Because I am not the only parent.

Because I have watched families destroyed and parents lose hope.

They tried to break me.

They failed.

This is my story.

It is public now.

It is permanent.

If you are fighting the same system, you are not alone.

We are stronger together.

Contact: heathermarie8403@hotmail.com

If you’d like, I can make a shorter version, a flyer, or a court-safe version.