When the System Fails, Children Suffer

This NBC Los Angeles timeline tells the heartbreaking story of Gabriel Fernandez, a child who endured unthinkable abuse and ultimately lost his life—all while under the watch of Los Angeles County’s child welfare system.

It is a tragedy that shook the nation. But it is not an isolated case.

How many more Gabriels are out there? How many more children are suffering because CPS failed to act when they should have? And how many loving parents like me—have had their children wrongfully taken because the system is too broken, too political, or too blind to see the truth?

I read this timeline not as a stranger, but as someone who knows firsthand the damage CPS can do. In my case, the system didn’t fail to act—it acted recklessly, with no investigation, no due process, and no truth. They took my children based on lies, while real abuse in other homes was ignored.

Gabriel’s story is a reminder that CPS is not always the solution. Sometimes, it is part of the problem.

We need reform. We need oversight. We need justice—for those who are wrongfully separated and for those who are truly in danger but left behind.

This is why I fight. This is why I founded Stolen Children by CPS.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/timeline-child-abuse-tragedy/1976354/