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.”
DICKINSON COUNTY, Mich. (July 14, 2025) — Newly released surveillance video shows what appears to be the moment a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Dickinson County Republican Committee headquarters. The footage offers more detail on a weekend attack that led to the arrest of a 19-year-old Iron Mountain man.
The video appears to show a suspect attempting to light a rag sticking out of a glass bottle before throwing it at the building on Stephenson Avenue. Police say the rag failed to ignite, but the bottle shattered upon impact. A second unlit bottle was later found in the parking lot with liquid inside and a rag sticking out of it.
According to a press release from the Iron Mountain Police Department, the incident happened around 3:55 p.m. on Saturday. No injuries were reported, and damage to the building, which houses several businesses including the county GOP office, was minimal.
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I spoke with Janice Riley, who lives just two miles from the deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas.
Janice is stepping up to help her neighbors in the wake of the flooding. If you’d like to support relief efforts, visit the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for a list of reputable organizations accepting donations.
My mom would have been 92 years old today. She passed away three years ago. She’s now in heaven, playing the slot machine and winning every time.
Trump Officials, Allies Move To Dismantle Obama-Era Guidelines That Pressured Banks To Drop Conservatives
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order directing federal regulators to eliminate Obama-era guidelines that pressure banks to deny services to conservative groups. It also calls to punish banks that drop customers because of politics.
The executive order could come as soon as this week, the Wall Street Journal reported after reviewing a draft.
"Conservatives for years have accused banks of denying them services on political or religious grounds, and cryptocurrency companies have said they were shut out of banking services under the Biden administration," the Journal reported. Click here to read more.
Michigan’s Green Energy Plan Means Higher Bills, More Blackouts
MIDLAND, Mich. — Michigan’s net-zero energy law could more than double utility bills, increase blackout risks, and deliver negligible climate benefits, a new report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy warns.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “MI Healthy Climate Plan” mandates 100% clean energy by 2050 through a rapid transition to wind, solar, and battery storage as well as the phasing out of fossil fuels.
“Michigan’s Expensive Net-Zero Gamble: Projecting the Costs of Gov. Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan” was conducted in partnership with the Center of the American Experiment and Always On Energy Research. The report concludes that the governor’s proposed transition will strain the state’s power grid and impose major costs on taxpayers. Click here to read more.
Trump Donates First Presidential Paycheck to White House Historical Association
President Donald Trump has donated his first presidential paycheck to the White House Historical Association, continuing his unusual practice from his first term of donating his salary, unlike most of his predecessors.
Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to announce the donation, a day after he paid a visit to the White House Historical Association.
“I am proud to be the only President (with the possible exception of the Late, Great George Washington) to donate my Salary. My first ‘Paycheck’ went to the White House Historical Association, as we make much needed renovations to the beautiful ‘People’s House,'” Trump wrote. Click here to read more.
Number of homeschool students grows in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. — As teachers across Central Florida gear up for the new school year, parents who homeschool are also getting ready for another year.
In Florida, the latest data shows 155,000 students participated in homeschool during the 2023-2024 school year. In the last five years, that number has increased by 46%.
There is no morning bell for Pearl Tindell — she gets up on her own time. But instead of heading to the bus stop, she heads to the open field with a horse.
Pearl is at her happiest up in the saddle, belting out her favorite songs. She spends countless hours training for horse competitions, doing horse therapy, singing and so many other hobbies.
“I am going to go on stage on a horse and sing. That is what I want to do,” Pearl said. Click here to read more.
Will federal money-hungry Gretchen Whitmer pass up $608 million FEMA ‘detention support grant’?
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has spent months lobbying President Donald Trump for federal support for Selfridge Air National Guard Base, ice storm recovery, a Mundy Township mega site, and other priorities.
But a coalition of 30 left-wing activist groups known as No Detention Centers in Michigan on Tuesday issued an open letter urging the governor to ignore a $608 million “detention support grant program” offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the construction of immigration detention facilities.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has spent months lobbying President Donald Trump for federal support for Selfridge Air National Guard Base, ice storm recovery, a Mundy Township mega site, and other priorities.
But a coalition of 30 left-wing activist groups known as No Detention Centers in Michigan on Tuesday issued an open letter urging the governor to ignore a $608 million “detention support grant program” offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the construction of immigration detention facilities.
The letter came the same day Whitmer met with Trump at the White House to discuss tariffs, Medicaid changes, and other issues.
Banned From Banking? How Political Bias Is Freezing Out Everyday Americans
The America First Policy Institute warns that banks are shutting down accounts based on political beliefs instead of legitimate financial concerns, leaving people and businesses suddenly cut off from their money. They say this growing problem threatens free speech and calls for new laws to protect everyone’s right to fair and equal access to banking.
The report argues that vague government rules and political pressure are fueling these closures, creating a hidden blacklist that can destroy reputations and livelihoods overnight. It urges lawmakers to rein in regulators and make sure banking decisions are based only on financial risk, not personal or political viewpoints. Click here to read more.
Pro-life activist petitions Supreme Court over arrest for silent ‘peaceful’ prayer outside Southfield abortion clinic
A pro-life activist wants the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in after he was arrested and jailed for silently praying outside a Southfield abortion clinic in 2023.
Matthew Connolly, 42, filed a petition petition with the nation’s highest court last week, asking justices to strike down a vague ordinance in Southfield that criminalizes “annoyance” or “disquiet” in public areas he alleges violates the U.S. Constitution, the Christian Post reports.
This case is not just about Mr. Connolly,” Erin Mersino, attorney with Advocates for Faith & Freedom representing Connolly, said in a statement. “It is about whether the government can silence pro-life Americans and criminalize public prayer. If this unconstitutional gag order is allowed to stand, then no one’s speech is safe.” Click here to read more.
How DOGE Saves Taxpayers Almost $1 Billion by Cutting Energy Department Contracts
By the end of July, the Energy Department accrued more than $950 million in contract savings with assistance from the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency.
In some cases, the terminated contracts were tied to regulations. In other cases, the contracts were about “environmental justice” or related to energy “justice.”
One example was a $259 million contract with Guidehouse for “appliance standards analysis and regulatory support service.”
The contract had been partially paid, but the cancellation resulted in $165 million savings for taxpayers, according to the Energy Department and DOGE.
A spokeswoman for Guidehouse declined to comment for this story. Guidehouse says it has public and private sector clients with consultants that focus on efficiency. Click here to read more.
RFK Jr. Drops Bombshell About mRNA Vaccines and Pandemic.
President Donald Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dropped a bombshell on Tuesday about mRNA vaccines and how they actually prolonged the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, really.
Kennedy announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, after reviewing 22 mRNA vaccine development investments, began canceling them because, to put it simply, they fail to protect against infections like COVID.
Guidehouse has done technical work for the Energy Department for years to maintain a certification database for the federal government to keep illegal products—such as appliances and parts—from being imported, Pro Publica reported earlier this year in an article opposing the cut. Click here to read more.
ICE Agents Narrowly Escape Arson Attack In Washington State
An arsonist attacked an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Washington state over the weekend, throwing a rock through a window and lighting a fire on the property.
The unidentified arsonist targeted an ICE field office in Yakima, Washington, about 140 miles away from Seattle. Federal agents, the Department of Homeland Security says, managed to escape from the attack unscathed.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed Democrat politicians for their incendiary rhetoric against ICE agents, accusing them of contributing to the surge in violence against the federal law enforcement force.
“Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE,” McLaughlin charged. “From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi Gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale.” Click here to read more.
