I have to assume that Anke has sole custody of the children then. I wonder why that would be? Surely if they had joint custody, the authorities would have turned them over to DC by now? :waitasec:
MOO
Judith Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Human Development
"The children remain in the care of the Department of Human Services and they are receiving counseling. As you can imagine there are lots of issues that they are dealing with coming out of this tragedy."
"So that's where we are with the case. The children continue to be our care and we continue to possible placement with the adopted father, but nothing is settled yet."
Anke Doehm continues her custody battle in Family Court and still faces criminal charges in Magistrate's Court.
I have to assume that Anke has sole custody of the children then. I wonder why that would be? Surely if they had joint custody, the authorities would have turned them over to DC by now? :waitasec:
MOO
The custody case involving the Cannon children has once again been delayed, after the case was adjourned on Tuesday, December 12th at a Family Court in Belize City. The scheduled custody hearing between Anke Doehm and David Cannon, the adoptive mother, and father of Faye Lin Cannons three siblings could not be concluded because the Court is waiting for the completion of a Social Inquiry Report on behalf of Doehm. As a result of this missing report, the case was rescheduled to a later date next week, which the Court is yet to reveal.
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While Anke continues to fight for the custody of her adoptive daughters, she is now facing the charge of Cruelty to a Child on her own. Her recent appearance in court regarding this charge was on Thursday, December 7th where without a lawyer, she represented herself. The case was adjourned as well to a date in February 2018.
David Cannon
.The three surviving sisters of thirteen-year-old Faye Lin Cannon went home to the U.S. for Christmas last week, now in the custody of their adoptive father, David Cannon. On December twentieth, according to the San Pedro Sun, Cannon won the high profile custody battle against the children’s adoptive mother Anke Doehm. The Family Court decided to release the three girls from the protective custody of the Human Services Department. The children had been living with their adoptive mother Anke Doehm and her husband David Doehm on Ambergris Caye. Both were arrested after they became the prime suspects in Faye’s death, following a post-mortem examination revealing that the little girl was apparently murdered and physically and sexually abused
In an interview with the San Pedro Sun, Cannon said that in the social inquiry report, it was revealed that Anke did not have adequate requirements for a proper living facility for the children.
Anke is still facing charges in Belize in relation to Faye’s death. She and her husband were charged for ‘cruelty to a child’.
From January 3, 2018:
Roberta Magnus-Usher, S.C - Attorney for David Cannon
"We were not expected to be challenged by Mrs. Doehm considering the position she was in, considering the fact that one of the children had died in her care and that there was a pending criminal case coupled with everything else but they did challenge it, we filled (sic) for custody. Human Services had the children in their care, so that was another obstacle and at the point that Human Services had the children in their care, my client had not gotten access to the children. There is an exclusion order against him and against Mrs. Doehm and we understand that because Human Services and no one else in fact in Belize really knew who Mr. Cannon was. So we progressively try to change that situation by disclosing everything, by being up front with Human Services and allowing them to do the checks and balances that they needed to do. Regarding Mrs. Doehm, we presented all the evidence that showed and we think establish beyond a doubt that she was not a fit parent."
"We continue and we adjourn one more time I think after that for further hearing from her to give her testimony in addition to calling teachers, we call additional witnesses from San Pedro who had known the girls to give testimony and their testimony was heart wrenching. I am mindful of the fact that there is a criminal trial pending but as far as our evidence as we disclosed it in court I think established beyond a doubt these girls were neglected and that they were abused and the want and lack of care that a parent would have for their child was obvious. The teachers themselves, one teacher in particular got very emotional in his testimony because he had sought to reach out to these girls."
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We understand that Anke Doehm may have intended to call one of the girls to testify in her defense, when her case is tried. That won't happen because the court refused grant her any kind of visitation rights. She only got 15 minutes to say good bye after the case was decided.
http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=43229
Today, Anke made her first appearance in the Supreme Court, whose April session has commenced, but her name was not on the docket. After making checks, attorney Senior Counsel Ellis Arnold said he advised her to go back home and return for the next session which begins on June sixteenth.
Doehms most recent court appearance was on February 26th in Belize City, for a preliminary inquiry on the ongoing case against her. According to sources, the court ruled that Doehm should go immediately to trial for the said charge. However, a date for the trial has not been set yet.
Doehms case has been adjourned continuously ever since she and her deceased husband, David Doehm were jointly charged with the offense on July 12, 2017.
I suspect the prosecution of Faye Lin's case would be challenging any where, but especially for a country like Belize. I don't think they have advanced medical forensic facilities or many trained medical forensic experts. They're not only trying to reconstruct the circumstances of her death, there's trying to prove that previous injuries were not self-inflicted, whether there was sexual abuse, and looking for traces of valium or other drugs. And then, tying it all to Anke, and that she should have known and sought outside help.
The Doehm's seem to have been so isolated, no extended family and friends popping in, who could report on what they saw and heard. I wonder whether the other children were interviewed.
I'm not convinced they'll be able to make it stick to her, but I think they're trying their best.