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Mother tells House panel multiple system failures preceded 6-year-old's death
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Summary
At a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing, Brandy Mori Pols detailed interactions with family court, CPS, local sheriffs and probation officers that she says failed her son, Rowan Morey, before he was murdered. She urged legislative change and said she will pursue legal action.
Brandy Mori Pols, Rowan Morey's mother, told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare System that multiple parts of the child-welfare and justice systems failed her son before he was murdered at age 6.
Pols said she spent 52 hours searching for Rowan after he was missing, during which she was repeatedly told by Isabella County sheriff's deputies and others that the case was "a civil matter" or a custody dispute and that authorities could not issue an Amber Alert. She said a judge, Eric James, denied an emergency motion to return Rowan despite having signed the family's 2020 custody order specifying return arrangements.
The testimony matters because it recounts alleged breakdowns across agencies that handle child safety — family court, child protective services (CPS), local law enforcement, probation and the medical examiner — and because members of the committee signaled they will consider legislation in response.
Pols described repeated reports to CPS and family-court referees about signs she said indicated Rowan was being harmed, including multiple instances in which his head was shaved during visits. She said CPS closed a report after telling her that when the caseworker visited the other home it appeared "absolutely immaculate," a visit Pols said could not have been a surprise because the worker had told the other parent the allegations by phone.
"They told me we can't do an Amber Alert because it's a civil matter. It's a custody matter," Pols said. She told the committee that caseworkers and court staff repeatedly advised her to "file a motion" when she reported new concerns; she said the cost and time of repeated motions were barriers.
Pols told the committee that a lead detective provided vague information about her son's death and that the family was told they would not receive video footage. She also described body-worn camera footage the family received that, she said, showed deputies mocking her: "She must be the crazy one," she quoted the footage as showing. Pols said the family waited six months for an autopsy report and that no one in the agencies she named has since contacted her except sheriff's deputies at the time they informed the family of Rowan's death.
Pols criticized a family-court order process that she said required an additional emergency filing even though Judge Eric James had signed the 2020 custody order she said established when Rowan should be returned to her. She said probation officers who were told a parent had weapons and was using drugs did not report visible concerns or perform home checks she says were promised. She also described medications found in the child's father's system after the killing and said she had repeatedly reported belief the father was using drugs.
Committee members asked Pols for specifics about her interactions with CPS, the family court and law enforcement. Pols told Representative Regas that after a CPS worker visited the other parent's home and returned to Pols' house, the worker said the child "seems fine" and that a parent "can take care of his hygiene the way he sees fit on his parenting time." Pols said that response and the closure of reports left her without faith in CPS.
Pols concluded by urging that the committee pursue reforms to reduce delays in emergency responses, to strengthen protocols for high-conflict cases, and to require better mental-health screening and reporting. She told the panel she is pursuing legal action "at every level" and that legislation will be introduced addressing some of the issues raised.
Less critical details discussed at the hearing included Pols's account of what she described as repeated head shavings of her son beginning in 2020, her characterization of the other parent's prior DUI with massive injury and resulting pain-medication prescriptions, and her statement that the family received only limited information from investigators after the death.
Committee Chair Merriman and other members thanked Pols for testifying and said they would review possible legislative changes prompted by her testimony.
