The Holly Ann Collins case is an insult to all searching, recovering victim parents of Family Abductions and their family members. The Netherlands should immediately deport Holly Ann Collins back to the United States.
We applaud the efforts of District Attorney Liz Cutter who I understand has an impressive legal background. She is standing up for the rights of all victim parents of their family members.
If you don't like the decision of a Family Law Court in the United States, you can't take the law into your own hands and kidnap your children to another country. There are always legal alternatives.
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6 comments:
Holly Collins used all her legal alternatives and was left with three children coming home bruised by her husband. Sometimes, there just aren't alternatives and a parent has to be brave enough to protect her children above all. Ms Collins is planning on returning to the US to clear her name.
Hi Hesperis,
Thanks for your point of view. It always amazes me how people are certain she exhausted her legal remedies. In most states, one of the legal remedies is to let the District Attorney know your location. For 14 years, she never did that. Meanwhile, these children probably had caring family members, grandparents and relatives that probably thought, "I wonder where these children are so that I can give them a great big hug and their birthday and Christmas presents." What Holly Ann Collins did is considered in the Family Abduction Community to be one of the cruelest forms of child maltreatment and the most severe act of "Family Violence". If your husband did this to your children, how would you feel? This case belonged 14 yeas ago in court before Holly Ann Collins took the law into her own hands and played Judge, Jury and Executioner.
BTW, I don't want you saying that you won't post a rebuttal because you fear for your life. Since our website was started many years ago, we've had many death threats to our editors. Is this a tenet of the domestic violence community? -- I hope not.
Dear EDITOR:
I am certain that Ms. Collins did indeed exhaust her legal remedies. I also saw the bruises on those chidlren when they returned from their father. I heard them waking from nightmares. I saw HOlly Ann's face bloodied and brised. I heard that horrid man, Mark (her ex husband) bost of what he had done to her and threaten to do worse again and again.
YOU are the one that should be ashamed. No, they don't have caring relatives. Mark Collins never wanted them to return for fear of all that would be exposed if they did...just as he did not ask them to return then he is not now. He did not love them...they were a weapon to harm Holly Ann further. You see, his life would be ruined if it all came out. He would be seen for the monster he really is.
I had to hand the children over to Mark one Christmas eve many years ago. They were shaking. He threatened them that night...right in front of me. I have never forgotten. I have never forgiven myself for not having done more to help.
I ask you: Though it was LEGAL to beat and whip children in public, to buy and sell them in public auction not 150 years ago in the US...was it right? I ask you; though it was legal to incinerate hundreds of children at once only 70 years ago in Germany...was it right? Though it is legal now...today..to cut the arms and legs from children while their parents are forced to watch in parts of Africa...is it right?
Yes, Holly Ann did make the decision ehrself to judge that beating and torturing her children was wrong. No, she did not act as executioner: she stopped Mark from being one yet again.
Legality does not equate Justice.
Shame on you.
This is a case where I don't think that "Parental Alienation" is the case. There is too much evidence of ongoing abuse to think that she "made it up".
This was a mother trying to protect her children. She has my support.
Hi Hesperis, HBurns and Molly,
I am starting to receive more detailed information about this case. I acknowledge that each of you say they have seen the "evidence" but it also sounds like there is "compelling evidence" in support of father. Listed below is a link to a blog.
It sure sounds like there are a number of psychiatrists and other professionals as well as a family court judge that knew the facts of this case. If either one of you have any specific credentials to make you more qualified, please state your case. If this information is trure, it sure sounds like Holly Ann Collins was no mom of the year here.
Like in the rest of the underground cases especially the Faye Yager Children of the Underground cases, Faye was an Interior Designer and not a licensed child protection worker, child therapist or medical doctor. It is very dangerous for any person to self-appoint themselves a custody expert in this case. We need to let our legal system and licensed child protection professionals do that. That's why Holly Ann Collins did not exhaust her reasonable, legal remedies. She kidnapped her children and now she must take responsibility for that.
From:
TobeySterling.net
"Up until this point the grandparents apparently had a close and loving relationship with the children. None of Holly’s numerous siblings have ever claimed abuse."
"This was because she brought her children in the emergency room 32 times in a one year period, an extremely high number."
"At the end of the custody trial the State had solicited the opinion of 12 different mental health sources, including the psychiatrist she had hired. The consensus was a diagnosis of Holly of Munchausen by Proxy."
"Testimony was also given that the children had an aversive reaction to visitation with Holly, not their father."
-- snip --
Although this post is very long, it contains VERIFIABLE facts...oh yes, there are 2 sides to every coin! Those who think they know her, welll...
Sometimes people make judgments based purely on emotions rather than an objective understanding of all the facts, especially when they don’t have all the facts and especially in an emotionally charged and tragic issue. One would do well to remember that most situations have two sides, if not more.
Holly Collins has a very long legal history, most of which is a matter of public record in the United States including some of the events of her divorce and custody case including denying her parent visitation with the children. As part of the investigation Holly’s mother was interviewed, this caused additional concerns. Her mother testified emphatically that she loves her daughter very much, but desperately believed she needed help. Note; Holly’s allegation of abused by her mother weren’t made until after the custody case. Up until this point the grandparents apparently had a close and loving relationship with the children. None of Holly’s numerous siblings have ever claimed abuse.
Here are some of the facts. The allegation of possible abuse of her children was initiated by a hospital in Massachusetts which notified Child Protective Services as required by law of suspicious circumstances and was directed at her. This was because she brought her children in the emergency room 32 times in a one year period, an extremely high number.
At the end of the custody trial the State had solicited the opinion of 12 different mental health sources, including the psychiatrist she had hired. The consensus was a diagnosis of Holly of Munchausen by Proxy. In her defense Holly had hired a psychiatrist who presented favorable testimony based on his interviews of Holly. Testimony was also given that the children had an aversive reaction to visitation with Holly, not their father. It was at this time and based on this information that Mark Collins, and his wife, decided to pursue supervised visitation. Given the children’s ages at the time (4 – 7) and the subsequent 15 years of living solely with Holly’s fear, their memories of the situation are not unusual. Three of the 7 criteria used in this diagnosis are a constant belief they are a victim (note they truly believe this), compulsive, obsessive lying (even when unnecessary, and a very convincing ability to manipulate. Has Holly told this to those who claim to know her well; perhaps and perhaps not.
The Munchausen by Proxy "diagnosis" was a red herring leading to a false trail. You can find more factual information at http://tinyurl.com/3k4l2v in the article "Children should not have to run away from America in order to escape child abuse". Here's the text of the article:
"Jennifer Collins' mother Holly was forced to take her children to the Netherlands to escape their abusive father. Holly took Jennifer and her brother into hiding in 1994 after the children reported abuse by their father. Declarations from doctors, social workers and psychologists confirmed the children’s claims and recommended against the children being in their father’s care, but the family court judge ordered the children be placed in the father’s custody. Desperate to protect her children, Holly fled with them to the Netherlands, where they were provided with asylum after an international court found it would be too dangerous for the children to return, and Holly was declared a human rights refugee. When the FBI located the Collins in 2008 to pursue federal kidnapping charges against Holly, the Netherlands would not extradite, and the charges were later dropped.
"Jennifer, now a 23-year-old psychology student, hopes to teach the public the dangers of not believing children who report abuse, and describe the failures of family courts to properly protect abused children. She says: 'Children should not have to run away from America in order to escape child abuse.'
"She was in San Diego on September 14 to present her story at the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma’s (IVAT) 13th International Conference. Collins was awarded a Medal of Courage by the California Protective Parents Association for her bravery in speaking out about her ordeal in order to help other abused children.
"Eric Hickey, PhD, IVAT Board Chair of the Board and Director of the Center for Forensic Studies at Alliant International University, comments, 'Jennifer’s story and that of her family illustrates the power of surviving domestic abuse. We welcome her to the IVAT Conference.'
"Psychologist Joyanna Silberg, Ph. D., of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse & Interpersonal Violence, also presented at the conference, pointing out how the Collins family’s case is typical of system failures throughout the country."
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