Help Elizabeth Bring Hazel Back Home

Bring Hazel Home!!

Hazel is the 17 month old daughter of my sweet friend Elizabeth. She was forcefully taken from Elizabeth in Oregon through a court order out of Minnesota where Hazel’s father resides. Hazel has still breastfed through the night up until the day she was removed from her mother’s custody, and has only known her mother as her main caregiver the entirety of her life. Elizabeth is an Early Childhood Education teacher. She is an incredible mother who has provided a stable home for Hazel, and met all of Hazel’s extra medical concerns. Safety is not a factor in this scenario leading to Hazel being taken, only the great dysfunction of a flawed family court system. Elizabeth is a single parent who has functioned without additional financial support from Hazel’s father. She has only had the support of legal aid out of Minnesota, who have admitted in court that they have improperly counseled Elizabeth as they were not equipped to handle such an intricate case between two states. These are the actions of persons attempting to meet their needs, disregarding the jarring effects suddenly being out of her mother’s care will have on Hazel.

Elizabeth needs financial assistance to obtain a Minnesota attorney that can do family law and jurisdiction (5-10 k retainer) and travel costs. You can also venmo @CelinaNT - please put a note for Elizabeth

Backstory:

Elizabeth left Minnesota in January 2024 when Hazel was 3 months old. Elizabeth’s father, and other family live in Oregon and she needed their additional support. She was the main caregiver of Hazel daily and breastfeeding. Hazel’s father controlled all of their monetary access and when and how much groceries she could purchase. He would be awake on substances through the night and not allow Elizabeth to sleep. He kept guns out around their home in order to assert control. Many of these things are difficult to understand if you have not experienced or are not educated regarding power and control I.e. abuse/ domestic violence. Elizabeth’s father assisted her leaving urgently one day while Hazel’s father was at drug court.

Hazel’s father had the financial ability to obtain attorney’s and ultimately in February of 2024 Elizabeth was suddenly served a petition for full custody through the Minnesota Tribal court. This began their very long family court journey leading to this point. Hazel’s father does not have tribal ancestry and her DNA shows no tribal ancestry, but due to affiliation her father has commented that he only shows his face on the reservation once per month in order to keep his benefits. Ultimately he has exploited laws meant to protect Native peoples in order to further abuse Elizabeth. Elizabeth was advised by law enforcement and DV advocates to file for a restraining order. She was granted this in October. Tribal court held her in contempt although she had a restraining order in Oregon, for not returning to Minnesota with Hazel.

Ultimately this situation is full of legal loopholes between two states. Elizabeth has been advised that Minnesota did not have jurisdiction, then told they did. Ultimately, Hazel’s father obtained an order and was able to get a writ of assistance forcing the Umatilla County Sheriff to assist in retrieving Hazel. Due to knowing that they could forcefully take Hazel, Elizabeth did what no mother ever should have to - she packed things to help make Hazel most comfortable, spent a few hours with her before having to have her aunt hand Hazel over to her father to be driven from Oregon back to Minnesota. Elizabeth was given a handful of updates through their parenting app, but now has not received a response from Hazel’s father in 3 days. Hazel’s father and his mother are who traveled to retrieve Hazel. Hazel has bilateral club foot, braces she must wear and usually has weekly appointments- PT, Occupational therapy etc. When checking in with Hazel’s father to see how he planned to maintain this, he reported he added her to his insurance January 1st - despite her being fully covered through Elizabeth and it being unknown to Elizabeth that this would occur.

this is an unjust situation that is comprised of a system not educated to identify abuse and to only assist those with financial ability.

please help Elizabeth reconnect with her daughter.