Anyone remember the Twigg's/Mays baby switch back in the 70's?

[C.Ann]

Last night I finished Karen Kingsbury's "Redemption" series and "thought" I was going to move right on to the next in the series "First Born" - but then realized I had only received 4 of the 5 books in that series so far.. (I'm still waiting for #2..)

So instead I started reading, "The Baby Swap Conspiracy" - The shocking truth behind the Florida case of two babies switched at birth.. (By Loretta Schwartz-Nobel)

Anyone here old enough to remember that case - Arlena Twigg and Kimberly Mays? So far it seems that it is heavily biased towards the Twigg's - and it's an old book, so I'm not sure if the authors conclusions are correct or not..

All I can remember right now is that Kimberly went to live with the Twigg's for awhile - it didn't go well - she ran away from home - and last I knew, wasn't living a very good life..

The thing I can't remember that's the most important though is that if they ever actually proved the babies were switched intentionally.. Anyone know?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I remember that case very well, although I don't know the answer to your last question. I'd love to know more current information. Those types of cases always fascinate me, as well as the Baby Jessica and Baby Richard cases.

 

[C.Ann]

I remember that case very well, although I don't know the answer to your last question. I'd love to know more current information. Those types of cases always fascinate me, as well as the Baby Jessica and Baby Richard cases.

I remember those cases too - so sad.. I read a book written by the adoptive mother of Baby Jessica (after they were forced to give her up) and if I remember correctly, she and her DH ended up divorced..

I've also read several books about Marybeth Whitehead and Baby M - remember that case? The surrogate mother?

 

[Took]

C. Ann, I remember the case you mention, although I was a late teen, I think. I would be interested in updated information, too.

 

[emer95]

How funny that you asked this. A few months ago there was nothing on TV and I scrolled through the channels. The made for TV movie of their story was on Lifetime (I think) and I watched it. I was pretty young when it happened but I remembered being fascinated by it. After I saw the TV movie I wondered what had happened to Kimberly Mays so I googled her. I don't recall the exact details, but she's had a pretty tragic life. She and her father are estranged, and she lived with the Twiggs, but now they're estranged. Ernest and Regina Twigg ended up divorcing. Then Kimberly had a baby at an early age and lost custody of him for some reason. Really sad story!
I don't know about the babies being switched intentionally or not.

Remember that other tragic baby switching case about 10 years ago? I can't remember the last names, but the girls' first names were Cailey and Rebecca (I remember that because my neices are named that). There was a car accident and a whole family died, and somehow that caused the family to realize the switch. I wonder what ever happened in that case?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I remember those cases too - so sad.. I read a book written by the adoptive mother of Baby Jessica (after they were forced to give her up) and if I remember correctly, she and her DH ended up divorced..

I've also read several books about Marybeth Whitehead and Baby M - remember that case? The surrogate mother?

The people who had wanted to adopt Baby Jessica (now Anna Schmidt), Jan and Robby DeBoer, did get divorced, but remarried. I'm not sure if they're still married. I do know they adopted at least one child...a boy. It was about 15 years ago.

I was a huge supporter of the DeBoers until I read their book. They were told from day one by their lawyer that they would NOT win. IIRC, they never actually won a decision to adopt her as they dragged the case out. They did, however, win the right to keep her while they appealed the decisions to return her to her biological parents. All it did was drag out the inevitable.

Wow...just googled Jan DeBoer and found this:

Jan DeBoer starts over after fire damages his Pittsfield Township apartment
by Susan Oppat | The Ann Arbor News
Monday January 05, 2009, 6:40 PM

Jan DeBoer is starting over.

Again.

The father battling for custody of the child who became nationally known as Baby Jessica returned home to his Pittsfield Township apartment on Monday morning - the first time since a New Year's Day fire caused an estimated $550,000 in damage to eight apartments, including his.

DeBoer, 55, was in Florida caring for his parents when he learned about the fire. He flew back Monday, worried about what he would find.

His small one-bedroom apartment in the Greenway Park complex off Golfside Road was home to his few belongings - two guitars, his grandparents' Delft vases, his citizenship papers, a couch, a chair and a bed.


It also had his most-prized possession: An original painting of Jessica by a woman who was touched by the DeBoers' story and their battle to keep the little girl.


In 1991, DeBoer and his former wife, Roberta, began a lengthy custody battle that gained national attention after they tried to adopt a newborn they named Jessica.


The birth father didn't sign the adoption, and the two couples waged a court battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993. Jessica was returned to her birth parents when she was 2-1/2 and was renamed Anna Schmidt.


The DeBoers later adopted a son, Casey, who is now nearly 15. Their marriage didn't survive the stress of losing Jessica, and although they remarried, they divorced again.

And so Jan lost his daughter, his marriage and his home.


He even lost the ability to play his beloved guitars in a Christian rock band after he mangled his thumb in a press at work in printing services at the University of Michigan.


After last week's fire, Roberta DeBoer placed the portrait of Jessica in the apartment complex office for safekeeping before Jan arrived Monday. But he was still nervous about what he would find.


The hallway walls were black. Insulation hung from the ceilings. The air was still acrid, four days after the fire.


When DeBoer got to the portrait, he was relieved.


"I look at it every day," he said of the painting of the big-eyed, curly-haired toddler. "She has never left my heart, and she never will. She will always be my little girl."


Anna Schmidt turns 18 on Feb. 8, DeBoer said.


He hopes that milestone could prompt her to call, although he has no reason to expect it. He last saw photos and television news coverage of her about six years ago.

DeBoer said he's getting tired of starting over, but he's also thankful.


"I've got a good job, and people who love me are coming out of the woodwork to help me," he said. "There are more important things in life than stuff. I'm lucky Casey wasn't here, and we weren't sleeping.
"And I didn't have to jump off a balcony," he said, referring to tenants who were injured escaping the blaze.


Greenway Park is accepting donations of goods and money to help tenants. Items can be dropped off at the office, 2756 Golfside Dr., south of Washtenaw Avenue.


The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, fire officials said Monday afternoon.

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/01/jan_deboer_adopted_father_of_b.html

 

[C.Ann]

Wow! Thanks for all of this updated information! If I have some time later - or tomorrow - maybe I'll do some digging myself..

Gotta love the DIS when it comes to finding info! Faster and better than Google..

 

[emer95]

Oh my... how sad about Jan De Boer!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Gotta love the DIS when it comes to finding info! Faster and better than Google..

And CNN!

I also read in my travels on the Internet today that Jessica/Anna was creeped out to hear that Jan DeBoer had a portrait of her on his mantle. Says she has no memory of them and doesn't want contact. They seem to be holding out that she'll agree to see them now that she's 18. I feel bad for the DeBoers in the sense that it must be difficult for them, even though I wholeheartedly disagree with how they handled the situation 16 - 18 years ago. But I hope they just let her live her life and leave her alone.

 

[C.Ann]

Just about finished with the book and I've found something interesting that I either didn't know or don't recall from all of those years ago.. There are long interviews in there with Cindy Mays - Bob's second wife - who raised Kimberly from the time she was 2 until she was 9 (at which time Cindy divorced Bob).. It appears he wasn't the "great, loving, dad" that he claimed he was - unless Cindy lied for some reason.. It certainly doesn't sound like she was being spiteful or vindictive - actually sounds like she was still in love with him, but couldn't tolerate his anger and abuse anymore.. (Directed not only towards her, but her DD as well as Kimberly..)

Hmmm.. When I'm finished with the book, I think I'm going to google a bunch of stuff and see what I come up with..

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

These stories always fascinated me. Curious to see what else you guys dig up!

 

[Allison]

I remember that story well. Very sad all around.

 

[Allison]

I was a huge supporter of the DeBoers until I read their book. They were told from day one by their lawyer that they would NOT win. IIRC, they never actually won a decision to adopt her as they dragged the case out. They did, however, win the right to keep her while they appealed the decisions to return her to her biological parents. All it did was drag out the inevitable.

Exactly. Anna's father let it be known immediately he wanted the baby and wouldn't give up his rights. The DeBoers knew this and refused to turn Anna over.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

The Twigg family lived about 1/4 of a mile from where we live. It was pretty crazy here for a while and very sad.

 

[kbeverina]

Remember that other tragic baby switching case about 10 years ago? I can't remember the last names, but the girls' first names were Cailey and Rebecca (I remember that because my neices are named that). There was a car accident and a whole family died, and somehow that caused the family to realize the switch. I wonder what ever happened in that case?

My daughter is a friend of one of the girls, Callie Conley. Her biological parents were killed in a car accident, but it was a paternity test in a child support case that brought the switch to light well after the accident. There was a lot of fighting for years between the surviving mom and Callie's biological grandparents and for a while she was trying to gain custody of both girls. The last I heard they'd worked out visitations between the families--Rebecca lives about 3 hours south of us. Callie is pretty, energetic, and will talk your ear off if you happen to sit near her on field trip bus.

 

[C.Ann]

My daughter is a friend of one of the girls, Callie Conley. Her biological parents were killed in a car accident, but it was a paternity test in a child support case that brought the switch to light well after the accident. There was a lot of fighting for years between the surviving mom and Callie's biological grandparents and for a while she was trying to gain custody of both girls. The last I heard they'd worked out visitations between the families--Rebecca lives about 3 hours south of us. Callie is pretty, energetic, and will talk your ear off if you happen to sit near her on field trip bus.

Wow! That's interesting.. So then you think it worked out well? If so, that would be great..

From what I understand, Kimberly Mays life is an absolute mess..

 

[ksjayhawks]

Didn't the birth parents in the Baby Jessica case end up divorcing as well? Shows the need for more better laws regarding adoption and releasing babies to live in a future adoptive family home until all paperwork is in proper order.

We had a couple in our church who adopted, got the baby at 4 days old, had her for a week, then birth mom wanted her back so they had to give her back. Birth mom kept her for two weeks, then gave her back to them. Adoption went through, but what a heart wrenching story!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Another interesting read regarding Anna Schmidt (Baby Jessica), less than a year after she was given back to her parents.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/116442

 

[moon]

Funny, I was thinking about that case a couple of days ago. I remember feeling so bad for the dad after she went to live with the Twigs. So she came back (to her original) home?

I remember footage of Kimberly acting really bizzare for the cameras in the balcony of the Twiggs home. It was like she was fed up with them and wanted to mock them, but she just ended up looking.... strange.

ETA: I just read emer95 saying that they are all estranged. How sad. I remember reading a magazine article (don't remember which one) where Kimberly was saying how much she loved her dad and wanted to stay with him no matter what. Just months later she went to live with the Twiggs

 

[lizziepooh]

I remember the case but do not recall that they ever discovered how the mixup occurred with the Twigg/Mays babies. Books can be biased depending on the point of view of the author. I hadn't thought about that case in a long time. I think hospitals today are much more careful because of that case and others.