A miscommunication between parents and a babysitter resulted in a little boy left unattended, roaming the streets, to be later found by police. The issue was eventually resolved and no one was harmed, but instead of a joyous reunion between the parents and their missing son, CPS has taken the boy away from his parents and has opened an investigation into the family.
Early in the morning on November 29th, a little boy was found wandering alone in Oakland County. He told the officer who found him that his name was Ben, and that he was three years old. But beyond that, he had no idea what his parents names were, or where he lived. Officers contacted CPS to report the situation, and began a canvas of the Pontiac neighborhood in the hopes of figuring out who the boy’s parents were.
It was during their second canvas of the area, conducted in the early afternoon, when the deputies hit pay dirt. They were given a possible address for the boy by someone living in the area, and they went there to investigate. The home, located on the 300 block of Baldwin, didn’t initially yield any answers. No one answered repeated knocks, and so the deputies decided to conduct a welfare check on any possible residents inside the home.
Inside the house officers found a 16-year-old girl who explained that she was sometimes the boy’s babysitter. However, at that time she wasn’t his designated caregiver. She was able to provide the police with contact information for Ben’s parents, and officers were able to speak with them shortly thereafter and resolve the issue.
This was about miscommunication, not parental neglect!
As it turns out, the parents had dropped their son off at the babysitter’s home that morning, but due to a mix-up in communication, she didn’t realize that she was supposed to look after Ben that day. In the end, because Ben’s parents thought he was with the babysitter, and the babysitter didn’t realize that she was on duty that day, the little boy had taken off wandering.
Thankfully he was found and kept safe before anything tragic happened, but now his parents are facing the very frightening reality that their son has been taken from them and they do not know when they will get him back. As CPS says, they will keep the boy until their investigation is complete. But when will that be? Days? Weeks? Months?
Until then, little Ben will live in a foster home, away from his parents and his usual caregiver, all because of a miscommunication. While we may not have all the facts at this time, the sad reality is that accidents happen and people make mistakes. Parents are not perfect, and they cannot be expected to get everything right every time. They should not have to lose their child indefinitely, simply because they had a mix-up which resulted in no one being harmed.
If you or a loved one are being investigated by Child Protective Services as a result of a simple misunderstanding, or miscommunication, contact us immediately at 866-346-5879. The family law attorneys at the Kronzek Firm have years of experience fighting CPS and their bullying tactics, and we can help you too.