Found and Silenced

At 3:05 A.M. on January 3, 2016, I received a phone call that my mother and sisters had been found in Pleasant Grove, Utah.  I was relieved to know they were alive and together, but worried about their overall state of being and desperately wanted to see them. (To read more how I was treated when I went to the Orem Police Department, read this post on Facebook.)

No more than a few minutes after I made my first Facebook post, the OPD posted this update stating they were holding my sisters for our father, Brian (screenshot on the right). In the press conference with Lt. Craig Martinez--which was partially aired on news channels tonight--he stated that it would be one or two weeks at most until the girls were reunited with Brian, and they would "probably" be going through some kind of process with DCFS.

This means that I have a week (two, at most) to fight for my sisters legally, without having any knowledge of where they are. They are said to be in the "state's custody", but they are not currently with Slate Canyon or any other youth facilities in the area. I'm concerned for their physical, emotional and mental welfare if they are simply delivered into the hands of our abusive father with no contact to anyone else, let alone legal protection or someone to help them have a voice. Please, please donate to my GoFundMe so that I can keep taking legal action the best I can.

My mother was recently bailed, and I have been reunited with her. She was interviewed by many of the news channels today, and KUTV is the only news channel to have posted the entire interview without cuts. Watch below:

Links to the various news articles published today:

KUTV (Channel 2)

Fox 13 SLC

KSL 5

ABC 4

Daily Herald

Link to another blog post made regarding my sisters today:
Click here

Many of you have asked what you can do to help. I would ask to please include Sydney and Danielle in your prayers at this time. Please donate, if you can, so that I can fight for them to be heard and not placed back with our father silently. Please share their story by sharing this blog, until they are able to have the proper legal representation that they so deserve.

Not "Cleared"

My dad (Brian Wolferts) has been saying that he has been investigated for abuse and cleared by the authorities. This is not true. No court or agency has fully investigated or ruled on the allegations that are contained in the original petition I filed in June 2014. My dad has engaged in delay tactics repeatedly to prevent any court from hearing the abuse allegations that relate to the last four years, when he has had primary custody of Sydney and Dani (and myself, before I turned 18).

His aggressive legal tactics resulted in the dismissal of their Guardian ad Litem and the temporary restraining order that had been the only thing preventing them from having to return to my dad's custody. That is the reason they ran away. I have been working tirelessly with my legal team to secure a hearing in court where my dad needs to answer for his abuse. These are not "regurgitated" claims from years ago. They are not recently invented as some have falsely stated. They are current. They are real, and they are true. And because my dad knows that, he is trying as hard as he can to never have to face me or my sisters in court, all while telling everyone that he has been "cleared" by the authorities.

Dr. Phil

In the end of November, I was approached by an interested producer of Dr. Phil’s with the possibility to be on his show. I was led to believe that the show was on my side, ready to help me defend myself and my sisters from an abusive home life with our dad. During the process of being asked questions about the situation, I wondered if it was a good idea to trust Dr. Phil or not. I decided that I felt (and still feel) that shining as bright a light as possible on my sister’s situation is the best chance of them being protected and everything being resolved. Between our dad’s extreme emotional abuse and alienation, the court officials shredding our trust and failing us, and thousands of people jumping on my situation and making angry judgments… those girls have been through quite enough. I decided to go for it.

I assumed that Dr. Phil would be a good way to get even more people aware of our problems. After I realized that they weren’t going to help us unless I faced my dad on camera in person, I almost refused because I knew the imminent trauma of being in the physical presence of my abuser who I was (and am) still recovering from living with. But I weighed the possible good that Dr. Phil could do for my sisters, and I decided it would be worth the risk of facing my dad for the first time in over a year. I decided it would be worth the trauma. I told myself that I could handle it, prepare for it, and get through it.

But no amount of hopeful thinking could prepare me for the trauma I experienced being in his presence again and feeling his anger emanating toward me from

AP Impact: Abused Kids Die As Officials Fail To Protect

The AP published this article today after having conducted an eight-month study of all 50 states to determine that officials often fail to protect abused children. I beg all of you, especially those who keep suggesting that my sisters merely have to talk to DCFS to find safety, to read it and educate yourselves.

Here are a few of the statements made in the article that stand out:

BUTTE, Montana (AP) — At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in plain view of child protection authorities — many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger, The Associated Press has found.

Many factors can contribute to the abuse dilemma nationwide: The child protective services system is plagued with worker shortages and a serious overload of cases. Budgets are tight, and nearly 40 percent of the 3 million child abuse and neglect complaints made annually to child protective services hotlines are "screened out" and never investigated.

Also, insufficient training for those who answer child abuse hotlines leads to reports being misclassified, sometimes with deadly consequences; a lack of a comprehensive national child welfare database allows some abusers to avoid detection by moving to different states; and a policy that promotes keeping families intact can play a major role in the number of deaths. [emphasis added]

Because no single, complete set of data exists for the deaths of children who already were being overseen by child welfare caseworkers, the information compiled over the course of AP's eight-month investigation represents the most comprehensive statistics publicly available. The data collection system on child deaths is so flawed that no one can even say with accuracy how many children overall die from abuse or neglect every year. The federal government estimates an average of about 1,650 deaths annually in recent years; many believe the actual number is twice as high.

"We all agree that we cannot solve a problem this complex until we agree it exists," said David Sanders, chairman of the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, whose members are traveling the country studying child deaths under a congressional mandate.

The Past Ten Years (From a Child's Perspective)

On July 17, 2014, my two younger sisters ran away. That's the story that got so many people involved with my family's situation. But the story behind what happened this July has lasted over ten years... It's the story of my life.

When I was nine years old, my parents separated. I never understood what it was like to not live in constant fear of my father. I felt that I was living with a ticking time bomb, because if my sisters or I did things such as eat the wrong way or close a door wrong, he would become extremely aggressive towards us. He would hurt us physically by pinching and twisting skin, thumping on the head, yanking limbs, etc. He also attacked my mom if she did anything he disapproved of--and that could be literally anything. I saw him not only psychologically but physically abuse her, and that was so harmful to me. Up until the time of my parent's separation, I thought that's what dads were like. I thought being afraid of my dad was normal. Seeing the way he treated my mom, I learned to think that was just how fathers treated mothers. I was always confused when I went to my friend's houses and saw that their dads were loving and treated their wives and families with kindness and respect.

When my mom chose to leave late one night and take us to a shelter, I had never felt more safe and protected in my life.  I felt so happy because I was away from my dad. Being a nine year old girl, I wasn't sure if I should feel guilty for being so happy and not missing his presence. Knowing we were somewhere where he couldn't get to us made me feel so secure.

CLICK "READ MORE" TO SEE MORE OF MY POST:

Facts About the GoFundMe Account

There has been some speculation about the GoFundMe account that was set up to help me and my sisters pay for attorneys.

When I filed the original petition to determine abuse and neglect against my dad in late June 2014, I was represented pro bono by an attorney. He had health problems and had to resign his bar membership effective July 1, 2014. I was left without legal representation when I needed it most desperately. Another attorney stepped in and represented me pro bono at the July 11 hearing where Judge Bartholomew vacated the temporary restraining order, which led my to my sisters deciding to run away on July 17 rather than go back to our dad whom they had publicly accused of abusing them. After the hearing, I was again left without an attorney to help me get the petition heard and my sisters protected.

In September, multiple family members rallied together and graciously loaned me money to pay the $5,000 retainer to hire a good attorney in Utah County with experience both in the Fourth District Court where my parents' divorce case was filed and in the Juvenile Court where my petition was filed. My attorneys are Trent Cahill and Scott Weight at Esplin Weight. I have also received some pro bono legal advice from an out-of-state attorney who has had experience trying a divorce case in the Fourth District Court in the past.

My attorneys have had to work hard defending against my dad's aggressive legal maneuvers. My dad has deployed every artifice and stratagem in his lawyer's legal arsenal to keep me and my sisters from having our day in court. Most recently, my dad was able to get the Juvenile Court to dismiss the amended petition we had submitted. 

We are now asking the Court to reconsider that dismissal and have plans to continue fighting. But it takes money. Through today, I have incurred $9,235 in legal fees with Esplin & Weight. My attorneys estimate that if we are ultimately able to get the case reinstated and get through an evidentiary hearing, it will cost an additional $10,000, which you can see he has included in my most recent billing statement dated 26 November, 2014.
I am extremely grateful to all who have contributed to the GoFundMe account. I assure you that it is all going to pay my legal fees, either directly to my attorneys or to re-pay the family loan that was made to fund the legal retainer when I hired Esplin & Weight. So far, I have raised $2,920 through the GoFundMe. Of that amount, GoFundMe takes a 5% commission off the top, and another company takes an additional 3% to transfer the money to a bank account. So, I have yielded a net of $2690.78 from the GoFundMe. Many of the contributions to the GoFundMe have come from family members. From the general public and anonymous posters (some of whom may have been family, but I don't know), I have raised $2,690.78 through the GoFundMe as of December 3, 2014. Since receiving this bill, my uncle sent to Esplin Weight another $2,000 payment using his credit card on Monday, December 1st, which payment comes directly from your GoFundMe contributions. I will include proof of this $2,000 payment to this post when I get the receipt from Esplin Weight. This payment will also be reflected in my next statement by Esplin Weight that I will share here with you when I get it. So that means that since three days ago, my current amount due Esplin Weight is $12,235 ($2,235 for past work already done, and $10,000 for work they will do going forward). I still desperately need your help.

So to recap:
$9,235     Legal fees incurred to date by Esplin Weight
($5,000)  Retainer paid to and used by Esplin Weight
$10,000   Estimated additional fees needed
($2,000)  Payment made to Esplin Weight on Dec 1, 2014

$12,235   Amount currently due Esplin Weight today.

This is far below what I need to raise to continue to pay my attorneys' fees. But, again, I want to express my gratitude to all who have contributed. I want you to know that the money you have donated was and is needed, and appreciated, and it has not been wasted or used for any other purpose than to help me and my sisters in our legal battle to keep them safe and protected. 

Documents Page

FYI,

I have added a new documents page to the list of Pages found at the top of my blog, to help you become informed with actual supporting documents relating to the history of the court struggles with my dad. Please go through it. Reading the documents will help you to see why I am continuing to fight to protect all of my sisters. I will add more applicable documents as they get found.

Here are the links you will find today on my Documents Page:


Roby Report Complete April 2003

Dr Harnsberger Diagnosis Sydney Celiac 12 Sep 2007

Letter from Dr Hyde re Michelle 21 May 2007