(WSVN) – A court battle continues over a mother accused of abusing her infant. But she said new evidence revealed that her twins did indeed have a rare disease and that their injuries began before they were born. Tonight on 7 Investigates, 7’s Heather Walker brings you the latest.
Tasha Patterson: “It’s the holidays and I want kids. It’s not fair.”
This will be Tasha Patterson’s third Christmas without her twins.
Tasha Patterson: “We have a Christmas tree, we have a bag full of baby toys. There’s no reason we have to go through another Christmas without the whole family together.”
Tasha is a nurse. When we first spoke to her earlier this month, she said she had been struggling with the twins ever since they were born.
Tasha Patterson: “They were making more and more noise and we didn’t know why.”
She visited doctors and the emergency room several times, but no one could figure out what was wrong.
During her last visit to the ER, doctors discovered that one of the infants had a rib fracture.
Tasha Patterson: “My second twin was brought in. He had broken bones all over.”
The injuries were reported to the Department of Children and Families, and the infant was removed.
Tasha Patterson: “No, I didn’t abuse the baby.”
Tasha later learned that she had a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) that could be passed down to her children.
This disease causes easy bruising and weakens bones.
Despite notifying the state, DCF refused to return the children and dismissed her first appeal.
Now she is appealing again, with more doctors insisting the babies were not abused.
Attorney Valentina Villalobos: “The doctor said, “This is new and not much is known about this, but based on what we know about this, it is impossible to conclude that this is child abuse.” It’s possible.”
Tasha’s case was reviewed by several EDS experts.
Dr. Irman Forgani of Mount Sinai Medical Genetics found that “one of the twins continued to exhibit new fractures while the child was not in Tasha’s custody.”
Tasha Patterson: “So you’re labeling these as unexplained injuries, but they’re not unexplained due to cover-ups, because we didn’t know then. Now we We are providing information to you.”
Another doctor said some of the fractures occurred before the baby was born.
Attorney Valentina Villalobos: “So if the fracture occurred while she was pregnant and the children were in the hospital, then clearly she’s not guilty.”
For now, Tasha is supervising visits while the twins live with their brother.
Tasha Patterson: “I’m walking out the door and I hear them yelling ‘mommy’ through the door. If I’m such a terrible person, why are my kids crying for me? They I want my mom, but I can’t be there like I want to because they’re blocking me.”
Tasha’s second appeal is being heard in court. If Tasha loses, the twins will be put up for adoption.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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