In a powerful and emotional episode of Broken Truth with host John Davidson and Freedom Council, South Florida Nurse Practitioner Tasha Patterson and her attorney Valentina Villalobos shared the devastating story of how their family was torn apart by a flawed child abuse diagnosis. The twins were removed by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in September 2022 after multiple fractures were discovered. Despite overwhelming medical evidence pointing to an underlying genetic and metabolic bone condition — not parental abuse — Tasha and her husband Michael’s parental rights were terminated in 2023. As of the interview, adoption of the twins was scheduled for the end of that week.
This case is far more than one family’s tragedy. It directly inspired Patterson’s Law, a groundbreaking piece of Florida legislation designed to prevent similar injustices by guaranteeing families facing DCF allegations the right to a second medical opinion.
The Medical Beginnings: A High-Risk Pregnancy and Fragile Infants
Tasha’s twins were born prematurely at 34 weeks and 6 days via C-section. The pregnancy was complicated by preeclampsia, oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid), breech presentation, and premature rupture of membranes. One twin spent 24 hours in the NICU; the other required two weeks due to breathing issues. After discharge, the infants were home for only six to seven weeks but showed persistent fussiness. Multiple doctor visits and ER trips attributed the symptoms to colic or reflux, with treatments like Pepcid and rice cereal in formula offering little relief.
During a late-night ER visit for the second twin, pressure marks from a Velcro swaddle prompted a full child abuse workup. Skeletal surveys revealed numerous fractures in both twins — ribs, metaphyseal injuries, and more. DCF immediately removed the children, law enforcement launched a criminal investigation, and Tasha was arrested in the street after being followed from her home. A relative gained temporary custody, but the family faced strictly supervised visitation.
Crucially, new fractures continued to appear even after removal — including while the twins were in the relative’s care under constant supervision and during a subsequent hospital stay. One relative described holding an infant who pushed against his chest, resulting in an audible “pop,” visible deformity, and a confirmed new fracture on X-ray. The baby did not cry, a key indicator of underlying bone fragility.
A Chorus of Expert Testimony: Metabolic Bone Disease and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Tasha, a trained Nurse Practitioner, had suspected her own connective tissue issues prior to the births and was already pursuing genetic evaluation. Post-removal, the family assembled an extraordinary team of specialists whose findings were unanimous and compelling:
Dr. Marvin E. Miller, M.D., a leading expert in infant bone fragility, identified a perfect storm of risk factors for Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD): twin pregnancy (increased calcium demand), prematurity, maternal magnesium sulfate (used for preterm labor, which weakens fetal bones), antacids like Tums/Pepcid/Nexium (interfere with mineral absorption), oligohydramnios, and short umbilical cords limiting fetal movement and bone loading. He emphasized that fragility fractures in weakened bones occur with normal handling, lack associated bruising or severe internal thoracic injuries (unlike abusive fractures), and are transient, peaking in early infancy.
Dr. Anthony Perszyk, M.D., a Florida geneticist often consulted by child protection teams, clinically diagnosed Tasha with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (h-EDS) based on her Beighton score of 9/9, POTS, TMJ dysfunction, soft tissue injuries, GI issues, and pregnancy complications. He confirmed the twins also have the condition. Their abnormal bone matrix (due to defective collagen) predisposes to fractures during birth, NICU care, and routine infant handling. Perszyk noted genetic testing for h-EDS is frequently negative but does not negate the strong clinical diagnosis.
Dr. Michael Holick evaluated Tasha and raised clear concerns for h-EDS.
Dr. David Ayoub, collaborating with Dr. Miller on radiology, documented classic signs of healing rickets and MBD: craniotabes (soft skull spots), rachitic rosary (cupped ribs), subperiosteal new bone formation, ulnar cupping, and more. An early radiologist had noted decreased bone mineralization, only to issue a suspicious addendum reversing that finding.
Dr. Eli H. Newberger, M.D., founder of the Child Protection Team at Boston Children’s Hospital with six decades of experience diagnosing over 3,000 abuse cases, provided a detailed expert opinion supporting a medical etiology.
Dr. Gerard Pals, Ph.D., an international authority on Osteogenesis Imperfecta and rare bone diseases, reviewed imaging and determined that alleged “skull fractures” were actually congenital accessory sutures and ossification defects — common in bone fragility disorders but frequently misread by radiologists as trauma. Many rib fractures dated to the perinatal or NICU period.
The twins’ own treating geneticist later provided additional reports reinforcing a genetic/connective tissue disorder.
Legal Battles, Systemic Barriers, and Denied Justice
Despite this mountain of evidence, the dependency court limited testimony in the reopened termination trial to only two experts. The judge credited the state’s witness over the family’s specialists. Appeals, including to the Florida Supreme Court via habeas corpus, were denied — often within days and without full hearings. New evidence (injury dating, genetic findings, former CPT doctor urging reconsideration) was rejected as “reinterpretation” rather than “new.”
Valentina Villalobos highlighted procedural issues: parents advised to plead the Fifth in civil dependency cases (due to parallel criminal charges that never went to full trial), allowing judges to draw negative inferences; alleged conflicts with the presiding judge’s donations to involved hospitals (Joe DiMaggio); and broad immunities protecting Child Protection Teams and hospitals from accountability.
Tasha never received a full opportunity to testify. The emotional toll is profound: “This is harder than jail… These are my kids.” The twins, now receiving proper treatment for their condition, still cry for “Mommy Tasha” at the end of visits.
Patterson’s Law: Turning Personal Tragedy into Systemic Reform
Tasha’s case became the namesake and driving force behind Patterson’s Law, a critical reform addressing one of the most glaring failures in Florida’s child welfare system — the lack of access to independent medical expertise in abuse allegations.
The legislation ensures that parents facing DCF-related allegations involving medical child abuse or unexplained injuries have the statutory right to obtain a second medical opinion from a qualified specialist. It passed both the Florida Senate and House with strong bipartisan support and was awaiting the governor’s signature at the time of the interview (effective date July 1 following passage).
Patterson’s Law represents a vital safeguard. As John Davidson and the family noted, it acknowledges that rushed diagnoses — especially in complex premature infant or genetic cases — can destroy families without due process. It counters financial incentives in the system (federal Title IV-E funding tied to removals) and the tendency of some Child Protection Teams to “dig in” due to immunity protections.
Tasha and her advocates hope the law will not only help future families but exert moral and practical pressure on the judiciary and DCF to revisit cases like hers where truth and new evidence have been sidelined in favor of finality.
A Pattern of Overreach?
The interview touched on systemic issues: families losing children after seeking medical care for legitimate conditions, ignored exculpatory evidence, and the human cost when “finality supersedes the truth.” Tasha’s stepson (then 8) testified to a loving home with no violence — testimony disregarded. The relative who observed fractures under supervision also provided powerful testimony.
Freedom Council and similar organizations emphasize that while intervention is sometimes necessary, cases involving no prior history, no criminal record, and strong medical defenses deserve rigorous scrutiny — including second opinions now enabled by Patterson’s Law.
Current Status and How to Help
With appeals exhausted and adoption imminent, the family faces limited legal avenues but continues advocating. The twins remain with a relative and are receiving appropriate genetic care, yet the separation persists despite supervised visitation and clear medical exoneration.
Watch the full interview on BrokenTruth.TV to hear Tasha, Valentina, and John Davidson in their own words.
Support the Patterson family and their legal efforts at: youarethepower.net/patterson
Join or support Freedom Council at freedomcouncil.org — attorneys helping attorneys fight these critical battles.
Tasha Patterson’s story is a testament to a mother’s love, medical truth prevailing against institutional resistance, and the power of persistence. Patterson’s Law stands as a beacon of reform born from profound loss. May it prevent other families from enduring the same nightmare — and may justice ultimately prevail for Tasha, Michael, and their twins.
View redacted files related to the case here.
