STANDING WITH A FATHER FIGHTING FOR REUNIFICATION

A Bay Area dad navigating a sudden, devastating custody crisis and seeking support to reunite with his daughter.

Fundraiser Story

My name is William, and I live in the Bay Area. I never imagined I would be here — publicly asking for help just to stay in my daughter’s life. But I’m facing a sudden, overwhelming legal crisis involving my young daughter, whom I’ll call “Sierra” for privacy.

Everything about this situation has been rapid, disorienting, and deeply painful. I am fighting every single day to protect my relationship with her and to make sure she has the stability, safety, and emotional security every child deserves. Anyone reading this who has been dragged into the juvenile dependency system by the other parent’s use of the “nuclear option” – a claim of sexually abusing/touching one’s own child - will likely have some, if not a very real understanding of how rapid, how disorienting, and how painful.

Background

I married someone from a different cultural background, and from the very beginning, there were intense pressures from her family — especially her mother, who exerted significant narcissistic control over her life. Before my ex‑wife and I ever dated, her mother even brought her back overseas under false pretenses to force a marriage on her, or so I was told.

Despite these challenges, my ex‑wife and I built a life together and welcomed our daughter in 02‑2020.

Sierra is our only child. She has always been deeply bonded to me — running full speed into my arms during every exchange, laughing, playing, and showing every sign of a secure, loving attachment. Being her father has been the greatest joy of my life. These were things her mother, sadly didn't like to see.

What Happened

On December 2, 2025, everything changed overnight.

A sudden allegation was made against me — one that was shocking, completely out of character, and utterly inconsistent with my relationship with Sierra. Before any forensic interview with a trained specialist ever took place, there were 3 separate interviews with unqualified social workers. This is far outside standard practice and can influence a child’s statements, who after multiple or lengthy interviews can start saying what they think the questioner wants to hear so the questioning can end and/or they can please the questioner.

There are multiple videos of Sierra saying she was told what to say by her mother, including earlier videos pre-dating the current event of being accused of sexually abusing my daughter, where Sierra said her mother told her to lie about other issues of abuse done to her by the mother. Our daughter is so traumatized at some level, some deep level, that months before any of this current debacle started, she out of nowhere told me she had a dream that I was “in jail” because her mother had lied. It was merely an oddity at the time, but I now see it as a prophecy, albeit that thus far I have not been arrested or spent a minute of my life (I have no criminal record of any kind), in a jail. There are multiple videos of Sierra saying she was told what to say by her mother about some abuse or another over several years, earlier videos where she said her mother told her to lie according to our daughter. With regard to this sexual abuse claim, across 5 separate question-occasions Sierra either denied anything happened a total of 8 times, or, said “I didn't say that, mommy said that,” or “I didn’t say that to my mother.”

I cooperated fully with every part of the investigation. I completed a full polygraph conducted by an FBI trained polygrapher, which confirmed the primary allegation was false. Other claims, such as mothers “projecting” on to me what she was doing, claiming I coached my daughter to lie (about what, is unclear) was also addressed and debunked, and as an extra global protection, my attorney asked that the polygrapher ask if I had at any point said anything to either social workers or law enforcement that I knew to be untrue; I had not. Something called the “p-value,” which is the “probability the polygraph report was produced by a deceptive person,” was .001. For now, at least, the claim of orally copulating my 5 year old daughters “breasts” has been withdrawn. 

Yet despite all of this, the process has taken on a life of its own — one I can’t control, no matter how much evidence I provide. My attorney, while absolutely great and hard working to defend me, costs money I do not have. I am an Caregiver of the Elderly; not in possession of a lot of money..

The Most Devastating Part

Within just two weeks of being blocked from seeing Sierra — a child who had always expressed wanting to go to me and not to her mother, even saying same to authorities, therapists, and teachers — everything shifted. The same little 5 year old girl who always ran to me joyfully suddenly expressed to others, never me, that she didn’t want to visit after seeing her mother & after I was blocked from seeing her at all. By this time she and had been only in her mom's presence for 3 weeks, knowing only her father was being kept from her “for your safety,” and having been told by her mother (imagine this) “you won't see your father again.” That is both a promise and an expectation of my daughter's alignment by her mother, after having trapped her into a situation far beyond her ability to comprehend or deal with. Sierra was put into a clear loyalty bind after the shock, shame and grief of her father being removed from her life by a premeditated custody grab, and after being lead into a trap she doesn't know how to fix and likely blames herself for through coercive control, manipulation, and coaching by her mother who, as it turns out is just like her own mother and engaging in similar actions as was done to her in India.

After that December 24th visit, the social worker stopped allowing phone calls as well. The pattern has been impossible to ignore.

It has now been a full month without being allowed to see my daughter beyond that single 90‑minute visit.

I am fighting for an honest and fair process, for reunification, and for my daughter’s emotional safety. This should have been handled in the family court system, but instead I must go through the current dependency process to reach a stable, long‑term solution that restores our relationship.

Why I Need Help

I am facing:

Ongoing legal fees

Expert evaluations

Required court processes

Costs associated with reunification services

The financial strain of being pulled into a crisis I did not create

I am doing everything I can to stay steady, cooperative, and focused on what matters most: my daughter’s wellbeing.

But I cannot carry this alone anymore.

How Funds Will Be Used

Every dollar will go toward:

Legal representation

Court‑ordered services

Expert assessments

Documentation and evidence preparation

Travel and logistical costs related to the case

Reunification support

I will provide updates as the case progresses, within the limits of what is legally appropriate.

Why This Matters

This situation could happen to any parent. A single allegation — even one disproven by evidence — can separate a loving parent from their child for months or years.

I am fighting not just for myself, but for Sierra’s right to stability, truth, and a relationship with me — the parent who had her nearly a full day more each week than her mother, with joint legal and physical custody. I was the custodial parent who handled 99% of her medical needs, over three years, including pulmonology care, multiple pneumonias, and 11 courses of antibiotics — care that was not provided on the other side by her mother, including medications not given for over a year.

I am fighting for the chance to continue being the father Sierra knows — the one who has always protected her, cared for her, and loved her without conditions.

If you are able to help — through donations or by sharing this fundraiser — it would mean more than I can express. I would also welcome any prayers you can please say on our behalf.

Thank you for standing with us.