Brenda and Josh’s daughter Naomi was 11-weeks old when they say the baby accidentally slipped off Josh’s lap while he was taking care of her. A short time later, Naomi became very ill and was in and out of the hospital, where tests revealed bleeding in her brain and eyes. The couple soon was accused of abusing their child, Naomi was taken from them for seven months, and Josh was convicted of second-degree child abuse and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Dr. Phil asks Brenda, “In your most skeptical moment, did you question [Josh’s] intention? Did you wonder if he did something?”
“I think any logical, normal person would have to ask that question,” Brenda says, “and I did ask him tough questions in the privacy of our home.” She says her husband of seven years told her he did not abuse their daughter.
Brenda was investigated and exonerated of any wrongdoing, but she is still listed on a registry as a child abuser. She says when Naomi was returned to her, she went into hiding out of fear her daughter would be taken again. “They tried to terminate my parental rights permanently and then adopt Naomi to another family,” she tells Dr. Phil.
“How did they get it so wrong — if it’s wrong — because they said that the baby had brain damage, brain bleeds, that there were hemorrhages, retinal hemorrhages, according to them, consistent with shaken baby syndrome,” Dr. Phil says.
“I think the key word is ‘consistent with,’ ” Brenda says, “but there are other explanations, which were ignored.”
Watch the video above to hear why Brenda says she believes a pre-existing birth injury caused the bleedings. And on Tuesday, Dr. Phil speaks with Josh from behind bars. Watch more here.
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