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Katherine Jackson, an Indiana mother, refuses to back down to the Department of Child Services after DCS has falsely framed her as negligent, denied her child’s legitimate medical diagnoses and direct doctor’s orders, all amidst medical record deletions and unethical practices that have resulted in her children being outside of her care for almost 3 years.  

RELATED: Updated: Decatur Woman Charged With Neglect Of A Dependent

Katherine Jackson

Indiana – February 12, 2025 – Katherine Jackson is a mother from Indiana currently embroiled in several legal battles because her two children were taken from her in 2022 under false pretenses, in what has now turned into a blatant abuse of power and demonstration of pride by the Indiana Department of Child Services. DCS has attempted to publicly and privately portray Ms. Jackson as unfit and a danger to her children–a sentiment shared by media and followers of the story, but one that is demonstrably false.

In a scenario that has become concerningly familiar for a growing number of mothers around the United States, a topic so rampant that even medical TV shows routinely portray this harrowing experience, the Department of Child Services and local pediatricians are punishing a mother for advocating for her child. Despite the reasonable expectation that her child, being born severely prematurely at 23 weeks, may retain significant illnesses and a multitude of developmental delays, medical professionals routinely dismissed and actively interfered with Ms. Jackson’s pleas and advocation for her daughter’s incredibly rare disease and symptoms simply because she is a woman and not a medical professional. 

This rare genetic condition, known as Pilarowski Bjornsson Syndrome (PBS) was a diagnosis shared by only 10 individuals worldwide at the time of diagnosis and is now recognized in 46 individuals. In addition, the child suffers from a more common and visually identifiable condition known as alopecia, which presents as hair loss. Despite proven medical records detailing these diagnoses, when Ms. Jackson brought her daughter to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at the direction of another physician. Ms. Jackson was told her daughter had no illness at all, denying its existence. Due to PBS’s rarity, the staff was unable and unwilling to consider this medical condition as legitimate and disregarded the child’s symptoms as organic, claiming her mother was administering a foreign substance to induce the symptoms. Despite the child already having been diagnosed with PBS and displaying the known symptoms of the illness, Ms. Jackson was falsely painted as a liar who was either making her daughter sick or lying about her being sick at all. Without any semblance of reasonable investigation, the Department of Child Services stepped in and removed the children from the home, under the false presumption that her symptoms were fabricated and would improve once she was out of her mother’s care. However, because this was a real, documented illness, Ms. Jackson’s daughter continued to suffer and display symptoms of PBS and alopecia, which continues today. Over 2 years passed before DCS openly admitted that Ms. Jackson’s daughter has PBS and alopecia. Despite DCS accepting the diagnoses as true and the child’s symptoms organic, they refuse to admit their error and have doubled down on efforts to save face from their gross failures, manipulation of the truth, and encouraging a criminal prosecution to cover up for DCS’s misconduct. 

Additionally, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital determined that despite ample evidence citing that Ms. Jackson acted in accordance with medical compliance with regards to the refill and administration of her daughter’s prescription, Ms. Jackson was “neglecting her child.” 

Tracey L Harkins of Prusak & Harkins, LLC, counsel for Katherine Jackson

“In nearly a decade of working with families going through similar battles with the Department of Child Services, I have never seen such a blatant disregard of medical diagnoses and flippant denial of a mother’s advocacy efforts in the name of pride. The doctors and DCS officials know they are wrong, and instead of doing the right thing are attempting to save face with their continued pursuit in this case where a career DCS lawyer serves as the judge, pointing to a systemic abuse of power. This case showcases the unethical and illegal deletion of medical records, a disregard for expert testimony, and despite reunification as the primary goal, has resulted in the unneeded separation of children and their mother.”

A psychologist at Parkview Regional Medical Center who initially began this false narrative against Ms. Jackson, denying the existence of PBS and carelessly citing Munchausen by proxy, has since been let go following their deletion and alteration of the child’s medical records with the intention to ensure that Ms. Jackson could not be reunited with her children. These proven medical record alterations were not approved by any doctor, and this individual was willing to make these changes illegally and testify on behalf of DCS – an extremely concerning and unethical act that has yet to be rectified by the court. Some of the deleted information includes adjusting symptoms and overall diagnoses, all of which can be proven with documented evidence. 

Aaron Rapier of Rapier Law Firm, Ms. Jackson’s attorney

“This case is one of the most outrageous and devastating situations I have ever seen in my career. The DCS has wavered from saying my client’s daughter does not have PBS to saying she does, saying my client ‘shaved her daughter’s hair’ to now acknowledging her alopecia diagnosis. They have consistently thrown outlandish and false allegations at Ms. Jackson, but we will not give up or give in. We will continue to fight for the medical advocacy of these children and to reunite them with their family who love them, where they should have always been.”

Ms. Jackson has continued to face false allegations from the DCS and Fort Wayne Police Department that have bled into media stories perpetuating the false narrative. As a result of this, it is important to clarify that Ms. Jackson did not lie about her daughter’s disease to receive any support from the MakeAWish Foundation. She is extremely grateful for their contributions – so much so that all the funds in the GoFundMe account, which was set up by a friend, were donated by Ms. Jackson back to the MakeAWish Foundation – all of which can be verified with documentation. Additionally, Ms. Jackson did not seek out the MakeAWish Foundation, but rather, a doctor submitted an application on her daughter’s behalf, certifying in the paperwork in 2019 that the child’s life expectancy was shortened from her illness. 

Katherine Jackson

“Throughout this nightmare, I have been trying to advocate for my child in a world where mothers are consistently dismissed by medical professionals who think they know best. I refuse for my children to believe I have done anything but protect and love them, and I want nothing more than to have them back with me where they belong. I will continue to fight on behalf of my children, myself, and mothers everywhere who have suffered the same fate. You are not alone, and I will not back down.”

Despite the false claims and narrative, Ms. Jackson maintains that at no time has she neglected to care for or treat her daughter’s illnesses or attend to their basic physical, mental, or emotional needs. Ms. Jackson remained present, dutiful, resilient, and grateful for each day she was able to champion her children–and looks forward to presenting her case with a plethora of evidence in Allen County Superior Courts.