Our Nation’s latest family to be abused by Child Protective Services.
Sunday, 21 Sep 2008, 9:04 PM
INDEPENDENCE, MO. — An Amber Alert was issued Saturday night for four children from Independence, Mo., and police say their mother is the one who kidnapped them.
The children were in the Department of Family Services custody when their mother was given an unsupervised overnight visit. Shirley Riggs, 39, was supposed to return them at 2 p.m. on Saturday, but she did not.
Now, John McGliton, a close family friend, offered some reasons as to why Shirley Riggs may have taken off with her four kids.
According to McGliton, Riggs said she caught her husband abusing the girls. That’s when she first packed her bags and took the kids to Oregon to live with her mother. After a few years Riggs filed for divorce. According to McGliton, Riggs’ husband became angry and filed a report with the Missing and Exploited Children. Authorities tracked Riggs down and arrested her.
McGliton said Riggs’ ex-husband’s sister works for the Department of Family Services, and alleges that is why Riggs is getting “railroaded.” McGliton said Riggs feared she would lose custody and visitation rights of the kids at a scheduled court hearing on Monday. Riggs was afraid her kids would be placed into foster homes and that their father would be granted overnight visits.
McGliton said he doesn’t blame Riggs for leaving with her four children.
“She was protecting those kids,” he said. “I know she’s a good mom. There’s nothing that’s going to happen to those kids other than what the elements of the road bring right now.
McGliton did say he thinks Riggs was stressed, and that her actions left a lot of people hanging.
“I think she was put under the gun,” he said.
McGliton alleges Riggs’ actions were that of a desperate mother trying to save her children from a sex offender.
Police said this is the fourth time Riggs has left the state with the children. She has taken them to New Mexico and Oregon before.
I do not know this family so I’m not making a judgement call as to who is right in this situation but here are some facts that I do know.
CPS Does not protect children…
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.
These numbers come from The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN) Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS .
*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*
These numbers are based on the number of cases per 100,000 children in the US.
| CHild Protective Sevices vs. Parental Abuse | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Abuse CPS/Foster care | 160 | Biological Parents | 59 |
| Sexual Abuse CPS/Foster care | 112 | Biological Parents | 13 |
| Neglect CPS/Foster care | 410 | Biological Parents | 241 |
| Medical Neglect CPS/Foster care | 14 | Biological Parents | 12 |
| Fatalities CPS/Foster care | 6.4 | Biological Parents | 1.5 |
6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per 100,000 children.
CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse and kills more children than parents in the United States.


Thank you for bringig this to light by posting this article. I’veseen news stories o T.V. , but they are portraying her not as a protective mom, but as a person with questionable motives.
My two babies wee illegally abducted by texas CPS, on 3-20-08, and I was not given my proper due of process. I never agreed, signed anything or was given my parental rights to receive any information on this case from them and others. I believe that they have even molested my toddler from the response of a conversation from the inlaws
private doctor at the VA. They are alleging that I have a mental problem, which is a lie.
I have been seeing a therapist for sometime now, which I have been evaluated by Johns Hopkins to be told that I dont have a diagnosis and never was prescribed any meds. They finally brought this case to court on 6-9-08, alledging that I threw my 1 month old infant three feet across the room, on a cps visit with them on 4-8-08. I am a resident of Md., although being set up by my bi-racial estranged husband to go to texas in 11-07, to meet his parents and now I realize their plow. I am back in Md., doing my plan services ordered by the courts, while my now 8 month and soon to be 2 year old is in foster care. I am very greived that no one has helped me to protect them and to expose them the whole system and my ex, with the collaberators. will you please e-mail me with any words that I can put into actions and parent my babies effectively. Thank you so much.
This is no surprise that the police would say something about her leaving the state with the children. The main question is, did she do it when she was not allowed to, or when the children were legally under her care? If it’s the ladder, the officer making the report has commited a fraudulent act of “Decimation of character”. A serious offense, that a normal person would be incarserated for, if not sued. One fact remains in the eyes of justice… NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL THE PARENTS THEY CAN NOT PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN FROM OFFENDERS. And if the children were in the custody of the mother at the time she filed divorce, the MO DFCPS has no right to take the report of the father since she filed in a different state and his report came after she filed, which means the children were still legallty under her care, and any member of the department involved in the claiming of these children should be charged with kidnapping. And if they crossed state lines to bring them back to MO, then it is a federal felony for THEM illegally taking the children accross state lines. But, who is gonna prosecute a division of the state?
Too many people are too scared of what will happen. They do what they can be make that fear. “The intentional act to cause or spread fear”, which is what the do, is also the Webster Dictionary definition of terrorism. This individual act is a felony and the investigation needs to go toward the terrorists, not the mother.
I am honestly getting really tired of our lawmakers not doing anything about these factual death sentences by CPS. Everyone whom has worked for CPS has to be evaluated and those found guilty need to stand trial and face criminal charges, especially those social workers whom have lied about case facts, violated parental as well as constitutional rights, and social workers whom are criminally liable for the dissolution of familial relations.
Let’s start a reformation of the county and state governments on this issue. Their hands are stained with the blood of innocent children whom they have killed.
Reform the County and State Governments….NOW! PROTEST YOUR RIGHTS.
i am a non biological father of a 6 year old daughter i have 5 grown children also with 11 grand children. i have been taking care of my daughter for almost 5+ years my childs mother is mentaly ill and has 2 of her 3 children already taken in past years .i have had temp. custody of my daughter untill today when they took her from school and put her in a foster home .reasons are because i am not the biological father .my daughter has a biological father that left when she was born he has never had anytthing to do with her. i am convienced that we as americaqns have no rights nor do our children and the system is out of controle. i live in colorado anyone reading this with advice or can help please let me know thank you and God blessw jerry holden steamboatsprings freefalling577@aol.com
Virginia just passed the first law to expose the system with the help of Protect.org:
HB 1904 Virginia Child Protection Accountability System; established.
MORE INFORMATION:
Senate Bill 1068
House Bill 1904
http://www.protect.org/Campaign/Virginia/Virginia-Sunshine-Campaign.html
This is something all states need. Kansas has many people that are working to get this bill passed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4M3PWKVnAg
I HATE CPS AND FAMILY DESTRUCTION COURT. THEY KIDNAPPED OUR 2 GIRLS 8YRS AGO ON A LIE MY OLDER DAUGHTER TOLD THEM. OUR YOUNGEST IS IN FOSTER CARE AND WILL BE FOR 5 MORE YRS. WE TRIED A LAWYER THAT WAS USELESS. SO ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS DIE CPS DIE!!!!!! THE EVIL SOCIAL WORKERS NAME IS JOAN OLSON PHONE # 1800 362 3667 CALL HER AND GIVE IT TO HER!! OR HERES WHERE THE WITCH WORKS. WRIGHT CO. HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY. 1004 COMMERCIAL DRIVE/ BUFFALO,MN. 55313 I HATE CPS I HATE CPS !@#$%^&
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