Virginie (Baby aged 4 months, France)

Introduction

We are both 40 years old (I was 39 at the time of the events). I am a primary school teacher and Lionel works as a sorting inspector. We live in Mulhouse and we are parents to Danaé, born in 2019, and Timothé, born in 2024.

The Pregnancy and Birth

Timothé was born by cesarean section. The umbilical cord was cut during the incision: he suffered severe hypoxia and neurological signs were visible at birth and in the following weeks, particularly in his hands and fingers. I had gestational diabetes and the baby was estimated to be too large; I had already undergone a cesarean section before. However, Timothé was normal: he measured 48 cm and weighed 3.1 kg.

Timothé never really slept, always seemed hungry, grew and gained weight abnormally fast, and could not tolerate any music. I breastfed for only about two weeks because I did not have enough milk; he had trouble falling asleep during the day and would wake up screaming. He was curious and playful but a bit “floppy.” At 10 weeks, he started sleeping through the night. We were his sole caregivers.

The Day Everything Changed

Timothé was very nervous; naps were difficult and irregular, although nights went smoothly. At three and a half months (July 2024), he woke up screaming, seemed terrified; he was cold and wet. He suddenly stiffened and arched his body as if “possessed,” lost consciousness for a few seconds, then fell asleep. When he woke up, everything was fine: he ate and behaved normally.

The next day, Timothé vomited all of his milk, even in small quantities. I called the emergency services who directed me to the hospital. I arrived at noon and after several hours of observation, doctors concluded that it was gastroenteritis.

In August 2024, Timothé woke up during his afternoon nap screaming again; he would not calm down in my arms, seemed lost, froze while staring at me, then fainted. He was drenched and cold. I called my husband who was napping; he screamed in terror as Timothé remained unconscious. My husband called the firefighters who arrived within three minutes and transported us to the emergency room (Timo cried whenever he became conscious, his gaze was distant, then he would fall asleep again).

At the emergency room, doctors gave Timo some paracetamol and left me alone with him. They were not sure what was wrong.

After several hours of waiting, they noticed an increase in intracranial pressure and requested a scan. Two hemorrhages were detected: one old, one recent, according to the doctor’s oral report. Later, I would learn that these hemorrhages could be signs of ongoing abuse. They then requested an MRI which confirmed the hemorrhages but this time without dating them.

Between the scan and the MRI, they performed an abdominal ultrasound to rule out any possible intussusception.

Still alone with Timothé, our room door remained open. Heads would regularly appear to observe me suspiciously. They mentioned shaken baby syndrome (SBS). I searched on my phone, completely lost… trying to figure out if I had made a sudden movement because I never shook my baby; everything was dismissed with a wave of the hand as it takes violence to cause hemorrhages. They did not seek any other explanation, just a culprit.

Timo was then transferred to Strasbourg for pediatric intensive care (where he stayed only two days as the transfer was unnecessary). We were welcomed without judgment but doctors still sought a responsible party. Convinced of abuse, they told me that a report would be made (I did not understand what this meant at the time); I spent the night alone in the room with my son despite everything! He was unnecessarily and against our will transfused.

We were explained that if he survived, he would have irreversible sequelae…

The next day at noon, I left my son because I had been called for questioning (I would eventually be placed under arrest along with my husband); I would not see my son again for almost three weeks!

He was then admitted to the neonatal ward where we were treated like murderers when we brought a vaccine. We were violently pushed outside by hysterical caregivers and prevented from looking at him through a window!

The children’s judge confirms the provisional placement order based on a hypothetical medical report and the statements of a five-year-old child obtained through leading questions and out-of-context, unverified remarks. A completely false and defamatory portrait is painted without evidence but presented as an undeniable truth (although the evidence would have been easy to obtain). We are guilty; point blank; the judge’s gaze is unwavering and her opinion already made before even hearing us (no respect for the presumption of innocence).

Another judge will take over during the process; things will evolve quickly and positively afterwards, fortunately.

The child welfare inspector will content herself with sitting down, saying that our home is worrying and it is necessary to remove our son from us (without proof or any kind of investigation).

The juvenile brigade showed incompetence, condescension, and was solely focused on finding evidence of our guilt rather than shedding light on the case; an indescribable shame!! They fabricated our guilt.

The police sought to get my husband to denounce me, telling him they had proof of my guilt (of course off-camera with the complicity of his court-appointed lawyer); for my part, the inspector who questioned me was respectful and professional.

Without mentioning Thémis Association, an ad hoc administrator for Timothé, who has only sought to keep us separated from our son, relaying lies without verifying anything and showing aggression and accusations. A shame!

The forensic doctors who saw our daughter were respectful and reassured by seeing her.

Although we were fervent defenders of the police, justice, and medicine before this incident, we now feel nothing but disgust and distrust towards these people.

We were terrified by what our son was experiencing, “at rock bottom” and desperate to be separated from him (I even wanted to hurt myself to stop my own suffering).

Also angry because our daughter came out of the interrogation and separation from her brother (she would see him again after six weeks) traumatized and with frequent anxiety crises (she saw a psychologist for a year).

Our loved ones were devastated but unwavering in their support, fortunately!

Subsequently, all the professionals who interacted with us (SIE, ASE, TISF, hospital educator, foster family…) and my mother (trusted third party): everyone suffered in one way or another, given how evident the injustice was!

My brother-in-law suffers from Parkinson’s disease coupled with dystonia, which can manifest due to hypoxia.

A two-stage aneurysm rupture is rare but possible…

Timothé had a spontaneous ischemic lesion in Strasbourg…

In the Judicial Machine

We were placed under arrest for about five hours. It was a “violent” experience for me, even though the police officers were kind and uncomfortable putting me through this.

Timothé was taken from us on August 25, 2024; he was placed with weekly one-hour visits under supervision. He was returned to us on March 11, 2025.

He stayed two and a half months in Mulhouse hospital, then two and a half months in a foster family in the Vosges (45 minutes per week of visits at ASE for 1 month, then TISF 3x4h per week the following month; vacations at half-time with mom with free visitation rights in her presence). Then he was placed for two months with mom acting as a trusted third party, with visits and free outings in her presence and TISF 3x4h per week.

Our ASE representative was fantastic, just like the foster family; we were very lucky.

The criminal proceedings began on August 25, 2024, with our arrest and confiscation of our phones. My mother was questioned, and there was surveillance of the placement at my mother’s home for three days in front of our house. Then nothing until July 2025 when a non-prosecution decision was made. The children’s judge asked where the investigation was headed by late February; the phones were opened at that time, and acquittal seemed evident, so she ended all proceedings concerning our children.

A medical expert may have been requested; we are waiting for the criminal file to verify this.

Living with Suspicion

Our relationship came out stronger and more united than ever, as our mutual trust is unshakeable. Timothé is a resilient, strong, intelligent, joyful child who adores his big sister; he was pampered by everyone who took care of him. But he had to endure many separations (family, caregivers, foster family, grandmother) and thus the feeling of abandonment that comes with it; his return home required an adjustment period for all.

Danaé suffered greatly from the separation: crying fits, anxiety, guilt, behavioral issues at school. The family is still deeply marked by this experience; talking about it brings tears quickly; I gained a lot of weight and even got a white streak in my hair.

The grandparents remain hurt by the lack of respect and contempt from the first judge who didn’t even respond to their registered letters for visitation rights (she just warned the hospital that no one was allowed near the child!).

Legal fees amount to 11,300 euros, and I lost a significant portion of my salary due to taking a year off work.

Today, our view of institutions has changed negatively (even though we understand that we dealt with individuals who imposed themselves as saviors of the baby, we can’t help but lump everyone into the same “bag”; we ourselves were accused of a crime we did not commit and treated like criminals).

We have come to realize that our children never truly belong to us and that people have power over our lives, even based on lies that are spread without verification.

Our faith is more alive than ever and at the center of our lives; we are Jehovah’s Witnesses. The sadness over this injustice for which no one apologizes; anger at being mistreated; deep emotional wounds and a strong impact on my professional career (often dealing with children in complicated situations).

We have a fighting spirit to establish the truth about shaken baby syndrome misdiagnoses suffered by too many families; we are available to testify!

For consistency across testimonies, this text may have been slightly edited or translated by artificial intelligence. If you notice any error or inconsistency, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Adele, France

My husband and I are merchants, and we’re thirty years old. We have three children: a daughter and twin boys. We live above our …

Agathe, France

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Alexandre, France

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Alexia, France

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Amédée, France

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Anaïs, France

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Anonyme, France

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Anonyme, France

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Another Family, UK

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Audrey Edmunds, USA

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Barbora, Canada

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Bénédicte, France

Bénédicte, childcare provider since 2014. Married and mother of two children. Difficulties observed at the end of pregnancy. The child came …

Camille, France

Story coming soon.

Candie, France

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Catherine, France

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Chloé, France

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Courtney, USA

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Cyrille, France

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Dwayne Lindsey, Australia

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Elisabeth, France

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Elise, USA

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Elyne, France

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Emeline, France

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Fajr, USA

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Fany, France

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Flora, France

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Ilona, France

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Jennifer, France

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Josh, USA

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Julia, France

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Julie, Australia

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Julie, Australia

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Karen, France

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Karine, France

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Kat, UK

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Kimberly, USA

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Laeti, France

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Laetitia, France

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Laura, UK

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Laurine, France

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Leigh Crutch, USA

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Lily, France

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Lisambs, France

Mom is a nurse, dad is an aide, in our thirties, owner of our house. First child, very much wanted. I was hospitalized during pregnancy for …

Lolo, France

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Louise, UK

I am a mother who worked as a sewing machinist. Until my children were 14 years old, I raised them all. Then, the state wrongfully took …

Lyana, France

Mr., 36 years old, works in industry. Mrs., 34 years old, is active in the social sector. We have a first daughter who is four and a half …

Maddie, USA

I enjoy volunteering and taking psychology and behavioral health classes. I am also preparing to start work as a behavioral health …

Maë, France

R, M and E, a family living in the Hautes-Alpes. R is 36 years old and an electrician; M is also 36 and a teacher. E is their first child. …

Maeva, France

I had a perfect pregnancy despite bleeding during the first three months. The delivery, however, was premature at seven months of …

Manon, France

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Maria, France

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Marie, France

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Marissa, USA

My son was 25 at the time. He worked as a roofer, and he has an older sister and a younger brother. We all reside in Des Moines, Iowa. The …

Mark, UK

My name is Mark Lackenby. I am 45 years old and work on the railway. My family has a history in mining, as we are from the UK. I have five …

Mary, UK

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Melanie, Canada

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Melissa, USA

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Mia, Finland

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Mlmd, France

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Nancy, Canada

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Nathalie, France

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Nini, France

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Nini, France

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Orionea, France

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Paula, USA

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Perle, France

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Peter, Sweden

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Reginald, USA

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Roxanne, USA

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Sally, Canada

I am 26 years old, a support worker. My partner is also 26 and works in construction. Our baby was born three weeks early. Every time I …

Sarah, France

I am married and have a child. The child had strange breathing after vomiting. I informed the mother who arrived quickly. She told me that …

Skye, UK

My labor lasted two days, and it was a natural birth. She was significantly larger than my other children. We went home, and she seemed …

Stephanie, USA

I am married with two children and have been licensed to operate a home daycare for over fifteen years. N/A It was her first and only day …

Sylvie, France

My son, the father of twins, works in public works. He is a dad to twins born in March 2021 and lives in a house he renovated to …

Valeria, France

Our family was torn apart by these accusations. We had been married for eight years when Victoria Siara was born. As her mother, I am …

Vanessa, France

New mother, my son was the same age as the little one I was taking care of. The parents were in their thirties, like me. The mother had …

Vanessa, France

I obtained my Early Childhood Care and Education certificate in 2012. I then worked in a daycare center, recreational center, as a nanny at …

Virginie, France

We are both 40 years old (I was 39 at the time of the events). I am a primary school teacher and Lionel works as a sorting inspector. We …

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