Camden County, Mo. — The day after their 2-year-old daughter drowned in a Lake of the Ozarks cove, a Camden County couple says the Missouri Children’s Division took their surviving children without a court order — and that a juvenile officer later backdated paperwork to cover it up. Justin Haas and Katelee O’Bryan have filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against officials with the Missouri Department of Social Services, the Children’s Division, the Camden County Juvenile Office and the Camden County Sheriff’s Department.
The parents, who are representing themselves, filed the suit on Friday, Sept. 25, according to court records cited by ABC17 News. The allegations have not been tested in court, and none of the defendants’ responses were reported.
A drowning, then an interrogation
Their daughter, Iszabella, was reported missing on March 3, 2025, and her body was found that evening in Bollinger Creek Cove near the family’s home, after she had been missing for about an hour, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol as reported by ABC17.
The lawsuit alleges that instead of focusing on the search, Camden County detectives “aggressively interrogated” the couple as criminal suspects “rather than coordinating rescue efforts,” using what the parents describe as hostile and manipulative tactics. KCTV5 reported the family’s claim that detectives searched their home at 136 Tenney Road under an emergency warrant issued for a vacant lot at 80 Tenney Road — and ABC17 reported allegations that investigators staged and photographed the scene “to manufacture a false impression of criminal endangerment.”
The parents also say officials falsely claimed they smelled of marijuana, had paraphernalia and were rambling. They deny it, and their drug tests reportedly came back negative.
Children’s Division removal “without cause or a court order”
According to ABC17, the parents met with the Missouri Children’s Division on March 4, 2025 — the day after their daughter’s death — and their surviving children were separated from them that day. The suit alleges Children’s Division officials took the children without cause or a court order, and that a juvenile officer backdated a protective custody authorization to “retroactively cover up the warrantless seizure.”
The parents further allege that officials made false statements about the children’s developmental abilities and about past neglect, and that the children were placed with a non-family party instead of with their biological grandparents. At a child advocacy center, the children allegedly underwent invasive medical inspections without parental consent or a judicial warrant.
KCTV5 reported that the state also threatened to terminate the couple’s parental rights over medical marijuana use before the children were eventually returned home.
Grief compounded by the system
The suit describes the toll on the family. Katelee O’Bryan allegedly suffered “acute medical shock and debilitating physical seizures” after learning of her daughter’s death. Justin Haas allegedly lost $5,000 to $7,000 a week in contracting income, and O’Bryan lost wages during extended unpaid medical leave.
The family is now pushing for an “Izzy’s rule” law to restrict unauthorized entries by state administrative agencies, KCTV5 reported. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement, but its contents were not included in KCTV5’s report.
Why this Missouri case matters
Grieving parents are among the most vulnerable people the child-welfare system encounters — and, too often, among its easiest targets. If the family’s allegations are true, Missouri officials responded to an accidental drowning by treating the parents as suspects, seizing their remaining children without a judge, bypassing grandparents who could have cared for them, and papering over the removal after the fact.
Father’s Advocacy Network has reported similar patterns in Georgia, Texas and elsewhere: a family tragedy becomes the pretext for removal, and the burden shifts to parents to prove their innocence while their children sit with strangers. Families in mourning need support and kinship care, not interrogation rooms and backdated orders.
Key facts
- Plaintiffs: Justin Haas and Katelee O’Bryan of Camden County, Missouri, representing themselves.
- Filed: Sept. 25, 2026, in federal court.
- Defendants: officials of the Missouri Department of Social Services and Children’s Division, the Camden County Juvenile Office and the Camden County Sheriff’s Department.
- Their 2-year-old daughter drowned in Bollinger Creek Cove on March 3, 2025; surviving children were allegedly removed March 4 without a court order.
- Alleged: backdated protective custody authorization, placement with non-relatives instead of grandparents, invasive exams without consent or warrant, threat to terminate parental rights over medical marijuana.
- All claims are allegations; no court has ruled on them.
Sources
- ABC17 News (KMIZ) — Parents of girl who died at Lake of the Ozarks file federal lawsuit (2026-09-25)
- KCTV5 — Parents of drowned toddler in Camden County sue Missouri agencies, sheriff’s office (2026-09-28)
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