A military family claims they were falsely accused of abusing their 5-week-old sons and have spent a year and a half fighting to regain custody of their boys. Matthew and Alicia Jackson welcomed sons Wyatt and Walker in November 2022, and they were thrilled to be first-time parents but had no idea the nightmare that was about to begin.
Matt was serving in the Navy in Washington State when the family was sent to Matt's new post in Connecticut. Prior to the move, the boys had all their routine medical appointments, and everything seemed normal. However, during a visit with Matt's parents in Tennessee over the Christmas holiday, life changed.
According to an August 2023 Facebook post, Alicia Jackson said Matt was changing Walker when he heard a "pop." The parents were immediately concerned and took the baby to the emergency room for help. But in a matter of days, the parents would be accused of abuse and lose custody of the boys.
More from CafeMom: Parents of Kids With Rare Disease Take Them on World Vacation Before They Lose Their Sight
The parents thought they were doing the right thing.
Alicia Jackson told People the hospital ordered X-rays that revealed Walker had a fracture in his arm.
"We were told he had a fractured humerus bone," she said. "We were concerned. We asked if anything else came up in the blood test. The hospital started doing a full NAT workup, which is for non-accidental trauma."
The next thing the family knew, they were talking with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, which wanted a full exam of Wyatt.
"Then they came back with Wyatt's x-rays, and they said everything looked normal. They said he didn't have any fractures, but they were concerned that he had bruising up by his neck," she said, noting they suggested the possibility it was a birthmark and had noted other instances on his body.
The family stayed at the hospital for observation.
According to her Facebook post, Alicia Jackson said the couple was separated at the hospital and stayed in different rooms, one with each of the boys. Just when they thought things were OK, life took a traumatic turn.
"DCS did a full walk through of the home, took pictures of our babies AGAIN and then said they would be in touch the following day. In the middle of the night I get a call from the hospital saying we had to bring our son back – the other twin – because now all of a sudden they saw healing/old fractures on the X rays. We bring our other son back to the ER, and they tell me he has old/healing rib fractures that were caused by someone squeezing him," she wrote.
The parents lost custody of their sons.
Alicia Jackson told People that Child Protective Services took custody of her boys, and she felt there was nothing she could do.
"I was only able to see the boys for one two-hour visit per week, and it was with the foster parents supervising," she explained to the magazine. "It was allowed for both of us, but my husband had to come up and report for duty in Connecticut to his military station. It was just me and kind of awkward, but the family that my kids were placed with, they're good people, you know? They're very understanding and they let me mother my children when I was with them and care for them."
Alicia Jackson fought for a medical diagnosis for the boys.
She explained on Facebook that she discovered she was born with Ehler-Danlos syndrome and felt very strongly that her sons had the same condition. After meeting with a specialist in Boston, a doctor confirmed her suspicions.
"I have a clinical diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which is a connective tissue disorder that is hereditary. This disorder causes hypermobile joints, laxticity of skin/joints, easy bruising and skeletal fragility. Each of my boys were clinically evaluated and also said to have acquired EDS from me," she wrote.
More from CafeMom: 'Power of Moms': This Mom Quit Her Job To Find a Cure for Her Daughter’s Rare Disease
Alicia Jackson gave birth to a third child in December 2023.
The couple's daughter, Everly, was born on December 26, and the family thought everything was OK.
"When she was born, it was amazing. It was perfect. It was everything I hoped for, even being in the back of my mind having a little bit of anxiety, not quite knowing if CPS was going to show up at my door," she told People. "They were very aware, and we told them that we were having this baby. So when they didn't come up to the hospital, when they didn't show up at our door initially, we were relieved. We thought, 'Everything's fine and they knew that we're not these terrible abusers.'"
But the couple lost custody of Everly a few days later.
"The Connecticut attorney we hired in case we'd need her for our daughter said it was very possible that the Connecticut DCS might try to file what's called a predictive neglect," she explained. "It's because we have an open case in another state with our children that hasn't been resolved. We called her and she said it would be taken care of."
The family is working to be back together soon.
Alicia Jackson's parents were able to foster all three of the couple's children while the Jacksons were investigated on child abuse charges. The couple has regained custody of Everly and continue to fight for their boys. Alicia Jackson told People she shared her story in the hopes of helping other families.
"Document everything and remember you are your child's greatest advocate. If they tell you they can't get to the bottom of it, find somebody who will. There are people who are willing to listen and professionals who are willing to do the right thing and help," she said.
"You'll find answers to the things that you're concerned about if you keep searching. Find those people and lean into that because that will get you through anything."
