Broward County, Florida — Twin boys removed by the Florida Department of Children and Families as infants in 2022 were adopted in May by a relative, even though their mother says a genetic connective tissue disorder diagnosed after the court case closed could explain the fractures that led the state to take them, according to two South Florida TV investigations.
The mother, Tasha Patterson, a nurse practitioner, inspired a 2026 state law named for her family that is meant to give parents accused of abuse a fair chance to show a medical condition was mistaken for injury. The law came too late for her sons.
Updated November 8, 2026. The family’s attorneys say prosecutors had the medical experts’ reports months before a September conference presentation. Read what the October 27 letter says about those records and what the attorneys asked the prosecutor to preserve.
How the case began
The twins were born prematurely in July 2022 and spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit, NBC6 reported. Patterson said the babies were fussy in ways she could not explain. After an emergency room visit, doctors found multiple fractures, and the boys and their older half-brother were removed from the home. The twins were weeks old.
They did a scanning on him, and they found fractures from head to toe. Immediately, they said the children are not going to be going home.
Tasha Patterson, to NBC6
A court later terminated the parents’ rights. An appeals court later upheld a ruling against the parents’ bid to regain their rights, writing that the trial evidence “largely pointed toward non-accidental trauma” and that the trial court did not find the parents’ experts credible or reliable, according to NBC6. Patterson and her husband were also charged with child neglect causing bodily harm. As of NBC6’s May report, that criminal case was pending and the couple had pleaded not guilty.
The medical evidence the court did not weigh
Patterson was later diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, and another inherited bone condition, NBC6 reported. WSVN reported that the twins kept developing fractures after they were removed from their parents and that they were later diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The twins’ diagnosis came after the court’s final judgment, WSVN reported.
Doctors who reviewed the records sided with the family. One physician concluded in a letter that the criteria for an abuse diagnosis were not met and that the injuries were best explained by a genetic or connective tissue disorder, according to NBC6. A former medical director of the Broward County Child Protection Team, who asked WSVN not to name him, wrote that there is a plausible medical explanation for the findings and that the court should reconsider.
The cases they buried, read out loud.
NewNobody Reads You Anything: Your Rights When CPS Knocks
Caseworkers generally don't have to read you Miranda warnings, even when what you say ends up with prosecutors, and only a handful of states make them explain your rights at all. Adam lays out…
The family’s attorney, Valentina Villalobos, told NBC6 that about a dozen doctors have now said the case was not abuse but that the judge has heard from only two. She told WSVN the judge denied all of the family’s motions without a hearing.
Adoption completed before the law took effect
Patterson told NBC6, in a report published May 7, that the state planned to finalize the adoption that Friday. WSVN reported that the twins were adopted two days before Mother’s Day by a relative, so Patterson can still see them. The parents have had supervised visits.
State Sen. Barbara Sharief sponsored an earlier proposal, SB 304, in 2025. That bill passed the Senate and died in the House. The following year, Florida enacted HB 47 as Chapter 2026-165, effective July 1, 2026. When a child has a reported preexisting diagnosis of rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta or vitamin D deficiency, the Child Protection Team must consult a clinician experienced in treating children with that condition. For qualifying examinations, parents have ten days to request a second examination. If the medical opinions differ, DCF must immediately bring the case team together to review the disagreement. The twins’ adoption had already taken place. Read the enacted law, sections 2 and 3.
DCF told both stations that information about its investigations is confidential. The Guardian ad Litem Office in Broward County did not respond to NBC6’s request for comment.
What the prosecutor said in Nashville
On September 22, Broward County Assistant State Attorney Melissa Kelly discussed the pending criminal case during a conference on abusive head trauma in Nashville. According to an October 27 letter reviewed by FAN, Kelly played an interview with Tasha Patterson, identified the parents as defendants scheduled for trial and referred to a “false narrative.” The letter quotes Kelly describing a workup for suspected abuse and the length of the dependency proceedings. Townhall reported that she also discussed how the debate over second medical opinions affected legislation she supported.
Which records were available, and when?
Attorneys Octavia Brown and Valentina Villalobos disputed the sequence suggested by Kelly’s remarks. In their account, the full genetic workup came after the January 2024 termination of parental rights. They say the prosecutor’s office received expert reports in April 2026 and supplemental records as late as August 18. Tasha Patterson also signed releases in July and August allowing the office to obtain her medical and genetic records. That chronology matters because the evidence available to a prosecutor in September 2026 could differ substantially from what the dependency judge had in January 2024.
The attorneys say the remarks implied that the family had misrepresented its medical history to legislators. They also raised concerns about potential publicity before a criminal trial. Their October 27 letter sets out the family’s position. The materials reviewed for this update contain no ruling on whether Kelly’s remarks violated a professional rule or affected the proceedings.
What the family asked the prosecutor to preserve
Brown and Villalobos asked Kelly to retain the original recordings, slides, speaker notes, drafts, captions, distribution records and correspondence about the presentation. They requested written confirmation within ten business days of receipt. The letter sought preservation of existing records and expressly reserved any request for relief in the criminal case for defense counsel.
In an October 30 interview, Villalobos told Townhall that 14 doctors supported the family’s position that the twins had not been abused. That is the attorney’s count of medical opinions. As of that report, the criminal charges remained pending. Read Jeff Charles’s reporting for Townhall.
Where the system failed
The Patterson case follows a pattern seen across the country. A hospital abuse finding becomes the foundation of a removal, and once the dependency case moves forward, later medical evidence has little room to be heard. The court heard from only two of the doctors the family says support them, and by the time a genetic explanation surfaced, the judgment was final and the clock had run out. FAN has documented similar cases in its guide to how CPS investigations work.
Key facts
- Florida DCF removed twin boys born prematurely in July 2022, plus an older half-brother, after doctors found multiple fractures.
- A court terminated the parents’ rights, and an appeals court later ruled against their bid to regain them.
- The mother and the twins were later diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; the twins’ diagnosis came after the court’s final judgment.
- About a dozen doctors have said the case was not abuse, the family’s attorney says.
- The twins were adopted by a relative in May 2026, two days before Mother’s Day.
- Florida’s HB 47 took effect July 1, 2026, after the adoption.
- The parents’ criminal child neglect case was pending as of Townhall’s October 30 report. The parents had pleaded not guilty.
Sources
- NBC6 South Florida — South Florida couple who inspired child abuse law could lose children to adoption (2026-05-07)
- WSVN 7News — Mother’s fight for custody of her children inspires new Florida law, but still can’t get her children back (2026-05-26)
- October 27, 2026 letter from Octavia O. Brown and Valentina Villalobos to Melissa Kelly, pages 1–3. Copy reviewed by FAN.
- Townhall — Jeff Charles, October 30, 2026
- Laws of Florida, Chapter 2026-165
Don't just read it. Act on it.
Lawmakers fund and oversee this system. Tell Florida lawmakers what happened here.
Get an email when this case has a new development: charges, court dates, verdicts, settlements. Only about this case; unsubscribe anytime.
Lived through something like this? Your case could be the next one we document.
'CATASTROPHIC'Up nextFlorida Grand Jury Finds DCF ‘Failing Catastrophically’; Senators Draft 34-Point OverhaulA Florida grand jury found DCF visited one home 14 times before a child's murder and cited 12 records-falsification cases; four senators are drafting reform bills.
Oct 28, 2026
ON THE BENCHA Family Court Judge Muted Parents, Ignored an Appeals Court and Changed Custody Without Due Process. Kentucky Suspended Her for 30 DaysNov 8, 2026
LAWSUITAppeals Court Lets Bronx Father Sue ACS Caseworker Who Took His 6-Day-Old Son Without an OrderNov 8, 2026
ON THE BENCHOhio Judge Who Detained 2 Boys for Refusing Father Visit Reinstated, Back on Geauga BenchNov 1, 2026
