Des Moines, Iowa — A Madison County couple whose 4-month-old son was allegedly killed by an unlicensed babysitter has sued Iowa child-protection workers and a state investigator in federal court, alleging they pressured the grieving parents into giving up their 3-year-old daughter and then kept her for weeks after the state’s own team concluded the parents were not responsible.
Timmeri and Rylee Reeves filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against former Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia, DHHS child-protection workers Wyatt Towne and Sadie Rhamy, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent Beth Miller, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
A baby’s death, then a removal
According to the lawsuit, Timmeri Reeves left her son and daughter on Oct. 8, 2024, with Melissa Hancock, an unlicensed child care provider in Warren County. Hancock allegedly called 911 around noon, and the baby was later found to have a severe traumatic brain injury. He was pronounced dead Oct. 12.
The suit says DHHS directed hospital staff to keep the parents from seeing their son. It alleges Rhamy and Towne pressed the parents to consent to their daughter’s temporary removal, threatening to keep her from them if they refused. The parents agreed, and the girl was placed with another caregiver on Oct. 10.
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Hancock, 52, was charged in February 2025 with first-degree murder. Police allege she was the baby’s sole caregiver that day and that he had fatal injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma. She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is set for Feb. 24, 2027.
Cleared, but not reunited
On Oct. 28, 2024, a multidisciplinary team of DHHS and DCI personnel reportedly agreed the parents were not responsible for their son’s injuries, according to the lawsuit. DHHS kept legal custody of the girl anyway.
When the parents moved in November 2024 to revoke their consent, the state opposed it and asked a court to order the girl’s continued removal, allegedly without telling the judge about the team’s finding. On Nov. 15, the state dropped its application and the girl went home. The lawsuit says Miller later admitted it had been her “personal call” to block the child’s return.
The suit also says the girl’s grandfather repeatedly raised concerns with Garcia that DHHS was not returning the child to her parents.
The state’s response
The state’s attorneys said they do not comment on pending litigation and had not yet filed a response to the lawsuit, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch. The allegations have not been tested in court.
Why it matters
“Voluntary” placements signed under threat are one of the least scrutinized tools caseworkers have. No judge reviews the removal at the start, and parents often do not realize they can say no. If the allegations are true, this family lost one child to violence and then lost their surviving child to a state process that ignored its own conclusion. Parents facing similar pressure should know their rights during a CPS case before they sign anything.
Key facts
- Lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, reported Oct. 7, 2026.
- Defendants: ex-DHHS Director Kelly Garcia, workers Wyatt Towne and Sadie Rhamy, DCI agent Beth Miller.
- The couple’s 4-month-old son died Oct. 12, 2024, after an injury at an unlicensed babysitter’s home.
- Parents say workers pressured them to consent to their daughter’s removal on Oct. 10, 2024.
- A DHHS/DCI team found Oct. 28 the parents were not responsible, the suit says, but custody continued.
- The girl went home Nov. 15, 2024, after the state dropped its court application.
- Babysitter Melissa Hancock is charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Sources
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