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Help Maranda hire an attorney and get custody

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Hi everyone. 

A year and a half ago I was charged with child neglect and my children were taken away from me- for a crime my ex-boyfriend was found committing. 

On March 28, I took my daughter to the hospital for what looked like ring worm on her stomach. The doctors at West Florida misdiagnosed Ayla with ringworm and sent us home with topical anti-fungal medication. A few days later, the rash had spread, so we revisited West Florida Hospital. This visit they diagnosed Ayla with Impetigo. A few days after that- the rash wasMUCH WORSE- so I decided to take her to Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart suspected abuse andcalled child services, whom did only a three hour investigation. Even though I provided the police with the paperwork that Ayla had been taken for treatment- I was still charged with neglect and taken to jail and all three of my children were removed from my care.

In April of 2019 Andrew Bennett Ross-Celsius was charged with torture, child abuse, and several other charges. He was discovered abusingmy 2 year old daughter by the Escambia County Sheriffs office after footage from our security system was examined. Andrew was witnessed on these videos, by police, waiting until I left our house to go to work, before he would abuse the baby. He also wore a warewolf mask during the abuse- so that the baby wouldn’t recognize him. 

Many people questioned whether I was aware of the abuse. The police, upon further investigation, admitted that they were aware that I had nothing to do with the abuse- and I even assisted them in finding all of the evidence to convict Andrew. The investigation team, and the DA told me that they were going to have my charges dropped- and cried with me as we watched the disgusting videos of what this monster did to my baby.

the night the story aired on the news- Andrew hung himself while in “protective custody” in escambia county’s jail. 

With no one left to charge- the state turned its back on me. I was still charged with the neglect. 

At my plea date- I fought with my attorney that I did not want to accept the charges, becauseit had been proven that I did nothing wrong. My attorney then told me that if I did not accept the states plea deal- I would be sentenced to prison, THAT DAY. So I was forced to make a choice between “going to prison” or accepting probation and the opportunity to be able to fightfor my children.

As disgusting as this case has been handled- I still stand strong in fighting for rights of my children. Prior to this instance, I had never been introuble like this. I had never been investigated for abuse or neglect. And I was frequently the “kids hang out house” for my daughters friends. 

Some of the public sent me nasty messages asking questions about how I could have missed the abuse. I’d like to address that- there were no signs of abuse. Andrew hid his face from ayla- so she never “told on him”. Ayla was only two years old, and she has speech difficulties and truthfully needs speech therapy. Her father has been an alcoholic and left us a week after Ayla was born. His presence in her life was spotty at best- until this instance gave him the opportunity to play “Daddy of the year”. What people didn’t know, was that Aylas Father- Ryan - dropped ayla off with the man who abused her, several times, because he didn’t want to watch her. Ryan would frequently come up with excuses to not keep her the days he agreed to- would show up drunk to pick her up- or would just not show up at all. His absence made it impossible for me to have steady income.

Andrew prior to this instance, showed no signs of aggression- was never ugly or mean to my kids- and often spoiled them with gifts and trips to the candy store and the beach. His own three children spent a lot of time at our home. This man was mentally unstable and had 39 years of experience hiding it- and unfortunately hid it from me. 


Because of the actions of a sociopathic man, my life and my children’s lives have been turned upside down. I have not seen my children in 19months- and counting . 

that’s why I need your help-

I am asking- every person who has been done unjustly by police, the single mothers, the fathers who aren’t dead beats, the abuse victims, and anyone else who can identify with this horrific case- please donate. Every penny that I receive will do straight into the hands of an attorney to help me fight for my rights back to my children  and to get this ridiculous charge off of my record.


My girls have always been my world -and I need my world back. 

Organizer

Maranda Mixson
Organizer
Pensacola, FL

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