Judge Places Injured Tot With New Foster Family
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - A Broward judge decided Thursday that an 11-month-old boy in foster care, who was hospitalized this week with a skull fracture, will be placed with a different foster family.
The child's biological mother Apple Costa will be allowed to have unsupervised visits with the boy at her home.
During the hearing it was learned that the child's mother has been doing well in parenting classes and has tested negative for prescription drugs.
"I'm not a bad mother, I love my son, I learned my lesson judge," Apple Costa, the child's biological mother told CBS4's Ted Scouten. "I love my son, I'll do anything in the world for my son. I want my son back. I feel it is very terrible what the judge done to me."
Mark Riordon, with the Department of Children and Families, said the hearing had originally been scheduled to determine if the woman would be allowed to have unsupervised day time visits with her son. Now DCF investigators, along with Coconut Creek police, is now working to figure out where the child sustained the injury, either at his foster home or at the day care he attends in Margate.
It's a question the mother and grandparents of the child, identified by family members as Charlie Costa, would like answered as well. Jim Lewis, an attorney representing the family, filed the emergency motion asking Judge Giuseppina Miranda to return the child to his mother.
Investigators say the boy's foster family noticed that his head was swollen on Wednesday and took him to the doctor who hospitalized him.
According to Nikky Frank, the child's grandfather, the boy was removed from his mother's care about seven months ago after he was accidentally burned. When the pair arrived at a hospital, Frank said the boy's mother was slurring her words due to medication she was taking. Investigators removed the boy from her care.
Frank said since that time his daughter has complied with every demand of DCF; passed each drug test, taken parenting classes and created a home for her son to share with her.
"Somebody did something to this baby," said Frank. "They took him from the mom. They took him from us and now look what we get."
According to DCF, Charley will likely be released from Broward General Medical Center on Thursday and placed with a different foster family.
The child was removed from his mother's care seven months ago after he was severely burned.
CBS4's Carey Codd contributed to this report.
