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'Protect your kids. Protect yourselves' | Georgia parents fighting abuse charges say they were misjudged

Prior to 11Alive's investigation, Help That Harms, the families had never met. Together, they shared similar stories.

Rebecca Lindstrom, Ciara Bri'd Frisbie

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Published: 6:00 AM EDT April 29, 2024
Updated: 11:38 AM EDT July 25, 2024

After months, even years of silence, more than a dozen parents and grandparents walked into 11Alive ready to make their private pain public.

The families come from different backgrounds, but their stories of how they lost custody of their children are eerily similar. Each sought out medical professional help for their baby's illness or injury - confused by what could be the cause.

They were blindsided when the diagnosis by a child abuse pediatrician was abuse - and they were the ones accused of doing it.

Several couples also face criminal charges, compounding their battle in juvenile court for custody.

"I know I'm an extraordinary mother, and when they told us that she had all [of] these fractures, they said they would run some tests," Erica Rose, whose daughter's X-rays revealed a fractured leg. "It still hasn't crossed my mind that they would ever even try to take her away. I just assumed we would figure it out."

The interactive carousel below depicts the families that participated in 11Alive's group interview. Scroll past to continue reading the story.

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