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Trapped: Caught in a Broken Child Welfare System and a Fentanyl Crisis
Breeanna's life was marked by homelessness, addiction, and survival on the streets of Georgetown. Living in a deteriorating motorhome and caught in a volatile relationship with her boyfriend, Anthony, she faced overwhelming challenges. When she became pregnant, she knew she couldn’t care for her child. Desperate for support, she turned to her father, who entrusted the baby to compassionate family friends—a devoted couple determined to provide the love and stability the infant needed to recover from opioid withdrawal.
But their efforts were upended when Anthony emerged from jail, plotting to use the child as leverage against a looming statutory rape charge. As the caregivers uncovered Anthony’s crimes and sought help from Child Protective Services, they collided with a broken, corrupt system that vilified them while protecting him, allowing another vulnerable minor to remain in a dangerous, drug-ridden, abusive environment.
Ripped from their care, the couple refused to give up. Their fight to save Breeanna’s second child uncovered even more disturbing truths about a system that repeatedly fails its most vulnerable. Trapped is a gripping tale of love, resilience, and the urgent call to reform a welfare system that too often endangers the very lives it is meant to protect.Who Should Read This Book
Child Welfare Professionals: Essential reading for anyone working in or connected to the child welfare system.(Potential) Foster Parents: A must-read for current and prospective foster parents seeking a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges within the child welfare system.Concerned Citizens: Anyone looking to grasp the devastating impact and scope of the fentanyl crisis.True Crime Enthusiasts: A compelling choice for readers drawn to real-life stories that expose systemic failures and personal resilience.Overall view of the
The book By A Broken Child Welfare System And A Fentanyl Crisis can best be characterized as a gripping blend of memoir and investigative exposé. It combines personal storytelling with a critical analysis of systemic failures in child welfare and the opioid crisis. The narrative offers both emotional depth and factual insight, appealing to readers interested in social justice, family struggles, and the human impact of public policy.
Table of Contents
Prologue
How It All Began
An Unexpected Detour In The Journey
Looking Back, Moving Forward
A Fragile Start
An Opioid Addicted Infant Starting to Thrive
Surrounded by Heroes and Villains
Where's the Mother
Who’s the Father
The Relentless Rules of the Streets
Shattered Innocence
A Vulnerable Infant in Need of Protection
The Truth And Nothing But The Untruth
Silence After A Shocking Revelation
In the Best Interest of the Father
Looking into the Face of Injustice
Innocence Facing an Uncertain Reality
Children That Foot the Bill
New Beginnings
The Unplanned Encore
In the Best Interest of the Child
Epilogue
But their efforts were upended when Anthony emerged from jail, plotting to use the child as leverage against a looming statutory rape charge. As the caregivers uncovered Anthony’s crimes and sought help from Child Protective Services, they collided with a broken, corrupt system that vilified them while protecting him, allowing another vulnerable minor to remain in a dangerous, drug-ridden, abusive environment.
Ripped from their care, the couple refused to give up. Their fight to save Breeanna’s second child uncovered even more disturbing truths about a system that repeatedly fails its most vulnerable. Trapped is a gripping tale of love, resilience, and the urgent call to reform a welfare system that too often endangers the very lives it is meant to protect.Who Should Read This Book
Child Welfare Professionals: Essential reading for anyone working in or connected to the child welfare system.(Potential) Foster Parents: A must-read for current and prospective foster parents seeking a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges within the child welfare system.Concerned Citizens: Anyone looking to grasp the devastating impact and scope of the fentanyl crisis.True Crime Enthusiasts: A compelling choice for readers drawn to real-life stories that expose systemic failures and personal resilience.Overall view of the
The book By A Broken Child Welfare System And A Fentanyl Crisis can best be characterized as a gripping blend of memoir and investigative exposé. It combines personal storytelling with a critical analysis of systemic failures in child welfare and the opioid crisis. The narrative offers both emotional depth and factual insight, appealing to readers interested in social justice, family struggles, and the human impact of public policy.
Table of Contents
Prologue
How It All Began
An Unexpected Detour In The Journey
Looking Back, Moving Forward
A Fragile Start
An Opioid Addicted Infant Starting to Thrive
Surrounded by Heroes and Villains
Where's the Mother
Who’s the Father
The Relentless Rules of the Streets
Shattered Innocence
A Vulnerable Infant in Need of Protection
The Truth And Nothing But The Untruth
Silence After A Shocking Revelation
In the Best Interest of the Father
Looking into the Face of Injustice
Innocence Facing an Uncertain Reality
Children That Foot the Bill
New Beginnings
The Unplanned Encore
In the Best Interest of the Child
Epilogue
Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2024
121 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 14, 2025
Absolutely one of the truest reads I’ve ever read
This author knows exactly what he’s talking about. I had to watch my 5 beautiful grandchildren be ripped away from their mother and myself, three were given to a father who had been convicted of sexual predator. Two were twins, a boy and a girl, that hadn’t even had their first birthday and a boy 3 years old. My other grandson, 5 years old, was given to a father whose name was not on the birth certificate and refused the child was his. He is also a felon with anger issues. Neither one of these men ever gave my daughter one red cent for child support and she never once withheld the children from them. The oldest child, my granddaughter, age 8, never knew her father and we could never contact him. He was a drug dealer and user of crack cocaine. I was at every court hearing with my daughter, and offered a home to my grandchildren. They never gave me a reason as to why they refused me. I was finally able to get an attorney and spent around 20,000.00 to finally bring my oldest granddaughter home after 2 1/2 years . She had been to 3 or 4 foster homes (one was with the child predator). But in the meantime I watched my daughter go through a living hell. Even now she can no longer take care of herself. She lost everything…including her mind. She spiraled lower than anyone could imagine. I truly believe she went through a nervous breakdown. In and out of jail, a lot of times for being homeless, she was also addicted to meth. Her “boyfriends” are at least 35 years older than her.
But presently, she has been clean for a little over a year now.
Thank you for this story because it really felt like I had to be imagining what was going on in that courthouse and what’s going on with Dept. Of Child Welfare. Now you have confirmed my worst fears….my daughter was also forced to give up her parental rights. The fathers refuse to let her see her children and they are trying to get child support from her as well but she is so unwell she can’t even hold a job for more than a week or two. They, DCF, Bay County, the state of Florida and the two fathers have destroyed my daughter.
This author knows exactly what he’s talking about. I had to watch my 5 beautiful grandchildren be ripped away from their mother and myself, three were given to a father who had been convicted of sexual predator. Two were twins, a boy and a girl, that hadn’t even had their first birthday and a boy 3 years old. My other grandson, 5 years old, was given to a father whose name was not on the birth certificate and refused the child was his. He is also a felon with anger issues. Neither one of these men ever gave my daughter one red cent for child support and she never once withheld the children from them. The oldest child, my granddaughter, age 8, never knew her father and we could never contact him. He was a drug dealer and user of crack cocaine. I was at every court hearing with my daughter, and offered a home to my grandchildren. They never gave me a reason as to why they refused me. I was finally able to get an attorney and spent around 20,000.00 to finally bring my oldest granddaughter home after 2 1/2 years . She had been to 3 or 4 foster homes (one was with the child predator). But in the meantime I watched my daughter go through a living hell. Even now she can no longer take care of herself. She lost everything…including her mind. She spiraled lower than anyone could imagine. I truly believe she went through a nervous breakdown. In and out of jail, a lot of times for being homeless, she was also addicted to meth. Her “boyfriends” are at least 35 years older than her.
But presently, she has been clean for a little over a year now.
Thank you for this story because it really felt like I had to be imagining what was going on in that courthouse and what’s going on with Dept. Of Child Welfare. Now you have confirmed my worst fears….my daughter was also forced to give up her parental rights. The fathers refuse to let her see her children and they are trying to get child support from her as well but she is so unwell she can’t even hold a job for more than a week or two. They, DCF, Bay County, the state of Florida and the two fathers have destroyed my daughter.
February 26, 2025
Trapped is a gut-punch of a read—raw, real, and impossible to put down. The author tells the story of him and his wife fighting to save a fentanyl-addicted baby, only to slam into a child welfare system that’s more trap than safety net. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating, shining a brutal light on two crises we don’t talk about enough. The writing’s straightforward, almost like a friend venting over coffee, and it hits you right in the feels. It’ll make you care—and that’s something that will last. Perfect for anyone into true stories that demand attention.
January 17, 2025
A hard but necessary read…
What an eye opening book on the tragic topic of addiction, the power of love and the failure of the judicial system. Heartbreaking on all levels. As a recovering addict with 8 years of sobriety I understand so much of this story. I work with the court system as well and can see small changes but nowhere near enough. Thank you for sharing your story. I pray for all involved in this epidemic.
What an eye opening book on the tragic topic of addiction, the power of love and the failure of the judicial system. Heartbreaking on all levels. As a recovering addict with 8 years of sobriety I understand so much of this story. I work with the court system as well and can see small changes but nowhere near enough. Thank you for sharing your story. I pray for all involved in this epidemic.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews