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Subscribe to RSSSAN ANTONIO -- The grandmother of two children shot by their mother inside a Texas welfare office says her former daughter-in-law had a history of mental problems.
The 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter of Rachelle Grimmer remained in critical condition Wednesday. Authorities say Grimmer shot her children and then killed herself during a standoff in a state building where the family had been denied food stamps.
Mary Lee Shepherd of Montana said Wednesday that Texas officials should have given Grimmer the food stamps and then removed her grandchildren from Grimmer's custody.
Officials: Mom who shot her 2 kids was denied food stamps
Shepherd says she and her son Dale Grimmer, the children's father, had contacted social workers at least three times. She says they worried Grimmer could harm the children.
Rachelle Grimmer and her children moved to Texas from Ohio this summer.
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"Mom in welfare standoff mentally unsound"
ya think? Brilliant headline
I am not the type of person that screams SUE... but in this case I would hope that the father sues the crap out of the system he said he called "several" times to beg them to take the kids away from an unstable person.
What a terrible tragedy! All could have been handled if the STATE could have done their jobs.
Praying the kids get better!!
That's assuming he did actually contact social workers. Just because someone said he did doesn't mean it's true. Hindsight is 20/20 and people have been known to lie after the fact about all they tried to do to save the children and if he did call and make a complaint, if they removed the children from every divorced couple who called child protective services to complain about each other it would flood the system with more children than foster care could deal with not to mention they'd be removing the children from mostly people who would never do something like that. It's unfortunate for these children but they can't remove children from someone's custody until they commit a crime against the children or make obvious threats. That's the way it should be otherwise they could take anyone's kids.
What is the point of questioning his honesty or even raising the possibility of him being dishonest regarding his claims of contacting Social Services?? I don't get it. Are you implying that there is an excellent chance that this is a good for nothing dad that is only trying to cover is A#$ to avoid complicity in the death of his two children? Perhaps to avoid public disdain at his inaction. I think I am going to withhold judgment on that issue and others until I have a few more facts. You know those things called facts! In the meantime, I am going to be sympathetic to the father during this unforgettably tragic time in his life. His children are dead! Don’t you get that???
ARGH! Here is the deal. If you have children with someone who you feel is off their rocker, just making a phone call or two is not enough. You need to take it a step further, involve attorneys and tape recorders, and CALL YOUR KIDS DAILY! If they are acting threatening in anyway, take those kids and run. Chances are that they will just go and do something drastic to THEMSELVES. The courts also need to start listening to the other parents a little more than they do. If they had, I never would have been faced with my fathers girlfriend trying to get me (10 at the time) to finish slitting her wrists when she wasnt dying fast enough for her tastes. I lost it, and have permanant damage because of this, and many other equally troubling events that kids should never see. Judges need proof, so start providing some. Send a damn video recorder or hire a PI. I have kidnapped a kid from an abusive situation, more than once. I was willing to go to jail to save that kid. When I told the cop to take me, I wasnt telling them where the kid was because he was safe, he ended up bargaining to get that child placed in a caring environment, where he thrived until he was taken out and placed back with his abusive step father. Now he is finally living with someone who does care for him, but he always says "I wish I would have killed him that time. I would almost be out of jail, mom and my sisters would be free of him." THAT is messed up from someone who isnt even 16 yet. That kid had a hell of a life, and its wrong. If your childrens parent is scaring you, get the reasons documented with irrefutable evidence if possible. It may be hard, but thats what being a parent is. There are certain things that we can do now to attain the knowledge of what our children are subjected to when we are not around, use them!!!
OH! And the other part to all of this- This woman couldnt get food stamps for her kids, and mr. chiropracter over there is making a hell of a benefit amount from the government, on top of a six figure income. He lied his ass of to get them, and the people who dont lie cant get help. Next time Im desitute and in need of some help, I am LYING my pants off to get it. Maybe I should get my doc to label me as unable to work due to my severe ADHD and mental illness brought on by a tramatic childhood. I definately have some proof as to that.
I PRAY to God that these children have a swift recovery, and that they are able to come to terms with the situation they have before them!
I wish we knew more about what this woman went through. Now we are only left with the government organizations story and the mother-in-laws story. This follows the pattern of "your story, my story and then the truth." I am afraid we will never know the truth.
It is still a sad story that a mother would be driven to such extremes... mental illness or not, she needed help and it would appear that the father was not providing enough for the children that she would need to seek financial aid. Again, we don't know the full story and I can only speculate, but if the father felt the children were in danger, he should have done more to remove them from that situation.
I hope the children recover from the physical trauma, but sadly, if they do, they will be plagued by the mental trauma caused by knowing that their mother tried to kill them.
I pray to GOD that these children survive and have no memory of this tragic event. The system sucks!!!!
Why is it that some sites let you comment and others don't!! Makes you wonder!!
"16 TIMES rape was attemped and sometimes successful". WTF, was this kid so stupid that he would keep going back time and time again...one would think he'd stop going near this guy by at least the, oh I don't know the fifth or sixth time. Something just doesn't add up in this story, what's missing? Was the kid required to stay around this sicko?
Wrong story, Mike!
Who is to blame in this montrous act?? The system?? The father?? Immediate family?? If they all new that there was a problem they are all at fault. The system for having employees who have no ethics and treat everyone who walks in there doors with utter disrespect. The father for not doing his duty in protecting his kids and allowing them to live in a damn tent on a beach earlier this year. The immediate family for saying that they called twice to report the mothers unstable mental and living conditions. Nonsense. The sad thing is that a little 12 yr old girl passed away 12/7 in the evening and will not have a chance to see a better life. And a 10yr old boy is in critical condition . And they are saying they did everything in there power to help this woman out or better yet the children. So to the TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES i hope that the information missing from her file for which you denied her case was as important as the little girls life?? The system need an overhaul and fast. And changes will come it is just very distrubing that something like this has to happen in order for ppl to take action..
Well said, dave, well said!