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Dave Bondy@davebondy

May 20, 2025

‘They Failed My Son’: Michigan Mother Says CPS, Law Enforcement Ignored Red Flags Before 6-Year-Old’s Murder

Caledonia, Mich. — In an emotional plea before lawmakers, Brandi Morey-Pols shared how she tried in vain to save her 6-year-old son, Rowan, from the man she says was visibly spiraling. Instead, she said, every system designed to protect children — law enforcement, Child Protective Services (CPS), and the courts — failed catastrophically.

Rowan was found murdered in a suspected murder-suicide involving his father, Michael Winchell, in August 2023. Days before Rowan’s 7th birthday, deputies from the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office discovered his lifeless body after repeated pleas from his mother went unanswered for more than two days.

“I experienced a life-altering event nine months ago today,” Morey-Pols told lawmakers. “Since that moment, I have wondered what excuse a mother should accept when her child has been missing for 52 hours.”

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Instead of answers, Morey-Pols said she was met with apathy. “It’s a civil matter,” she recalled being told by multiple deputies. “We’ve done two wellness checks…we can’t do an Amber Alert because it’s a custody matter.” One sheriff even reportedly yelled at a dispatcher, frustrated that she kept calling. “Do you want to talk to my supervisor? Shut up. I’m sure he’s fine,” the mother recalled the deputy saying.

Rowan was not fine.

According to Isabella County investigators and reporting from WWMT and 9&10 News, deputies believe Rowan was killed by his father, who then took his own life. Brandi Morey-Pols said that it wasn’t even Isabella County law enforcement who delivered the news — Kent County sheriffs did.

“They weren’t even the ones that found my son,” she said. “They sent Kent County sheriffs to deliver their bad news.”

‘I Told Them. Over and Over Again.’
Morey-Pols testified that Judge Eric Jaynes, the same judge who signed the original custody order in 2020, denied her emergency motion to get Rowan back even after she presented evidence that the child was still alive. “Why did I need another motion for him to sign when he signed our original order?” she asked. “And he denied it.”

But it wasn’t just the court. According to Morey-Pols, CPS caseworkers dismissed her reports of neglect and abuse. The child’s father, she said, shaved Rowan’s head bald repeatedly — sometimes before family events and milestones — and denied the boy food and access to preschool. Rowan allegedly told his mother he lived off toast and that his father slept all day.

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“He started self-harming,” Morey-Pols said. “He threw his head into a metal table at dinner. He bruised himself at the pool. I was beside myself.”

Still, CPS closed the case, reportedly telling her that there was “nothing there.” One caseworker allegedly told her, “He can take care of his hygiene the way he sees fit on his parenting time.”

Morey-Pols was incredulous. “If he was a little girl getting his head shaved, you’d care,” she remembered saying. “And she closed it anyway.”

A System That ‘Did Nothing’
The mother testified that despite repeated calls to law enforcement, probation officers, CPS, and court referees, no one intervened — even after she warned them that her ex, a convicted felon, had weapons and was abusing prescription drugs.

“He was a felon who hit two cars doing 120 miles per hour and blew a .39. He broke his back and hip and suffered a head injury. After that, he was on Vicodin, Norco, morphine, and fentanyl,” Morey-Pols said.

She believes this was key information that CPS ignored. “I told CPS. I told Foxx (the court referee). I told Isabella County sheriffs. He was on drugs,” she said. “They did nothing.”

When deputies finally responded, the damage was done. Rowan was dead. “They had to cut into the little body I made,” she said, sobbing. “They didn’t even reach out to us. We got the autopsy report from a friend who called in a favor.”

‘No Faith Left’
After the tragedy, Morey-Pols said not a single person from CPS or the courts reached out to her — only sheriff’s deputies on the day of the death. And to this day, Judge Jaynes remains on the bench.

“There should be no wait time for children,” she said. “Eliminate that completely. And bypass the judge.”

She is now pushing for “Rowan’s Act,” a legislative reform package she hopes will force courts, law enforcement, and CPS to take high-conflict custody cases more seriously. Her suggestions include:

Mandatory mental health evaluations for both parents in contested custody cases.

Oversight of prescription drug use, particularly opioids and mood-altering medications.

Mandatory parental communication apps.

Stronger consequences for ignoring signs of emotional abuse.

“There’s not enough emphasis on mental and emotional abuse — but it almost always leads to physical abuse and death,” she warned.

A Voice for Rowan
Brandi Morey-Pols described Rowan as bright and bubbly, someone who needed “mommy’s back tickles to fall asleep” and who loved to name the moles on his body with his mother.

“I only remembered a few,” she said. “But he didn’t know that — he’d always ask, ‘What’s this one’s name?’ And I’d make one up.”

Now, Rowan’s voice is gone. But his mother’s remains.

“I did everything I was supposed to do,” she said. “And they still failed him.”

00:31:43

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Dave Bondy@davebondy

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Dave Bondy@davebondy

April 28, 2026

Michigan House Bill 5711, which would roll back the state’s clean energy mandates for utilities, has cleared the House Energy Committee and is headed to the full House for a vote. If approved there, it would move to the Senate for consideration.

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Dave Bondy@davebondy

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Dave Bondy@davebondy

May 15, 2026

Michigan State Rep. Matt Maddock showed up to today’s consensus revenue estimating conference in Lansing wearing a “DOGE” baseball cap. This is the meeting where officials decide how much tax money the state expects to bring in next year, which ultimately

Michigan State Rep. Matt Maddock showed up to today’s consensus revenue estimating conference in Lansing wearing a “DOGE” baseball cap.
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Dave Bondy@davebondy

May 07, 2026

It’s national prayer day. If you haven’t prayed in a while, take some time to do so.

Dave Bondy@davebondy

11 hours ago

News they don't want you to see

Wednesday May 20, 2026

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Six criminal illegal aliens deported last year found on Jocelyn Benson’s voter rolls

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won’t discuss how many illegal voters remain on the state’s voter rolls, but recent reports suggest the issue may be larger than previously acknowledged.

The same day Anthony Forlini flagged nearly a dozen additional noncitizens on Michigan’s voter rolls, online researchers highlighted several criminal illegal immigrants with active voter registrations, including some with voting histories spanning multiple elections.

The claims were first reported by The Gateway Pundit. The Midwesterner reported it confirmed details using public address databases, a Department of Homeland Security database, and CheckMyVote.org, a site operated by conservative activist Phani Mantravadi, who recently won a lawsuit against Benson regarding access to portions of Michigan’s Qualified Voter File. Click here to read more.

Pritzker board eliminates poor attendance from Illinois school ratings

Illinois plans to eliminate poor attendance from school ratings at a time when a fourth of the state’s students miss a significant chunk of the academic year.

In an overhaul the State Board of Education approved in April, “chronic absenteeism,” or missing 10% or more of the school year with or without a valid excuse, will no longer ding a school’s rating. All nine current board members were appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The new system will use the term “consistent attendance,” the percentage of students present 90% or more of the school year.

That semantic switch may confuse parents about what’s really being measured, though it’s just a different way of saying the same thing. But the revised system also changes attendance from a “core indicator” in the rankings to merely an “elevating indicator.” Click here to read more.

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Major Transportation Union Poured Millions Into Dem Politics, Casinos As Workers Got Sold Out, Report Finds

A major transportation union invested millions into Democratic-aligned political activity while also pouring member funds into leisure and recreational events, according to a report first obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The American Accountability Foundation report alleges SMART-TD poured money into Democratic candidates and liberal groups while spending heavily on entertainment, travel, casinos and resorts. The report also argues the spending shows union leadership is out of step with the purportedly “MAGA” blue-collar workers it represents. Click here to read more.

Florida Politicians Battle Professors in High-Stakes Match

Universities across the country are facing unprecedented government scrutiny of everything from the rise of antisemitism to the lack of viewpoint diversity in the left-leaning social sciences. Nowhere is the ideological battle over higher education more contentious and consequential than in Florida, home to the second-largest university system in the country.

Florida’s crusade against progressivism has been more methodical and aggressive than anywhere else. Beyond setting up a civics program focusing on Western traditions, a trend in many other Republican-dominated states, Florida has launched what critics consider a frontal assault on another tradition – academic freedom – the idea that professors are the experts who determine course content. Click here to read more.

Trump expands TrumpRx with 600+ generics to boost drug price competition

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday the expansion of TrumpRx.gov to include more than 600 generic medications, aiming to provide Americans with greater price transparency and choices for everyday prescriptions without insurance middlemen.

The move builds on the site’s February launch and integrates discounts from providers including Amazon Pharmacy, Cost Plus Drugs and GoodRx. Officials positioned it as a key step in Trump’s broader efforts to lower drug prices through competition and Most-Favored-Nation policies.

“TrumpRx.gov has already been visited more than 10 million times, and has saved American consumers over $400M already,” Trump said in the announcement. Click here to read more.

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Dave Bondy@davebondy

May 19, 2026

News they don't want you to see

Tuesday May 19, 2026

Thanks for being here. I send this email out Monday - Friday showing you the stories you won’t see in the mainstream media.

Alleged GPS trickery leads to Medicaid fraud charges

Two Clare County siblings have been charged with conspiracy and Medicaid fraud over a travel-reimbursement swindle that takes money from state and federal governments.

Attorney General Dana Nessel said April 29 that Steven John Caplan, 31, and Kayla Marie Earls, 35, both of Harrison, had been arraigned before Judge Lisa Babcock of 54B District Court in East Lansing for allegedly committing transportation fraud in the Medicaid program.

Caplan has been charged with one count of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony; one count of Medicaid fraud — conspiracy, a 10-year felony; and ten counts of Medicaid fraud — false claim, each a 4-year felony. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.

Oakley Village Council rescinds ICE cooperation agreement after pro-illegal immigration activists complain

The Oakley Village Council on Tuesday voted to rescind the village police department’s cooperation agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appease activists.

Despite apparent support from some members, the Oakley Village Council opted to end the Oakley Police Department’s 287(g) program agreement with ICE inked by Police Chief Marc Ferguson, the department’s only officer, on March 24, Mlive.

Ferguson did not inform the council of the agreement until days after it was signed, Oakley Village President Richard Fish told WJRT. Click here to read more.

I don’t let my kids have phones. I use Rapid Radios to stay in touch. Click here to learn more about these push to talk nationwide walkie talkies.

Get an extra 10% off on these Rapid Radios. Click here to learn more. I love mine.

A federal appellate court ruled that New York’s law banning firearms carrying under a so-called “vampire rule” violated the Second Amendment.

Shortly after the Supreme Court struck down New York’s discretionary system for issuing concealed carry permits, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation enacting numerous restrictions on carrying firearms after convening a special session of the state Legislature. A majority of the three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that a provision requiring private property owners to post signs allowing concealed carry was unconstitutional. Click here to read more.

Pa. officer who shot attempted Trump assassin named NRA’s Officer of the Year 2025

BUTLER, Pa. — A Pennsylvania police sergeant who fired at the gunman during the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt against President Donald Trump has been named the National Rifle Association’s 2025 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, the organization stated.

Sgt. Aaron Zaliponi of the Adams Township Police Department was serving as the counter assault team leader for the Butler County Emergency Service Unit during Trump’s campaign rally at the Butler County Farm Show grounds.

According to the NRA, officers were alerted around 6:09 p.m. to a suspicious man on top of one of the agricultural buildings near the rally site. Minutes later, gunfire erupted.

Zaliponi said he heard several shots before locating the suspect lying prone on a rooftop. As the gunman continued firing, Zaliponi engaged him with a rifle shot from approximately 115 yards away. Click here to read more.

Billions for Medicaid Expansion Congress Never Approved

The Biden administration may have failed to convince Congress to double Medicaid spending on home healthcare in 2021, but the funding increase occurred anyway.

An RCI analysis of federal data has found that spending on the program, which pays health aides and family members to act as caregivers for elderly and disabled adults, nearly doubled between 2019 and 2024, to $46.4 billion a year – an amount nearly identical to the $50 billion per year Biden wanted. As a result, American taxpayers paid more than $217 billion for home-based care under the program during that five-year span.

Lacking congressional approval, policymakers simply moved the initiative out of Washington and down to the state Medicaid agencies. Click here to read more.

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Dave Bondy@davebondy

May 13, 2026

News they don't want you to see

Wednesday May 13, 2026

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