Jake Wright was busy preparing lunch for his kids while his wife, Sarah, was out shopping.

As he worked in the kitchen, the children played in the next room. When Jake stepped away to check on them, he realized his three-year-old son, Mason, was missing.

Panicked, Jake searched the house but could not find him. He rushed outside and saw Mason standing at the end of the driveway with two of their neighbors.

The neighbors explained they had found Mason wandering near the end of the driveway. Jake told them Mason must have slipped out while he was making lunch. He apologized and assured them it would not happen again. Jake thought the neighbors understood it was an innocent accident.

But shortly afterward, there was a knock at the door. A CPS investigator, accompanied by three police officers, stood on the front porch.

Sarah answered. The investigator informed her that CPS had received a report about a child being left unsupervised outside.

Shaken by the unexpected visit and the presence of officers, Sarah explained what had happened. The investigator insisted on coming inside to see the rest of the children. Uncertain of her rights and feeling intimidated, Sarah allowed her in.

The investigator conducted a brief walk-through of the home and checked on the other children. Before leaving, she said she would return the next day to conduct formal interviews with each child.

After she left, Jake remembered Heritage Defense.

He called the 24/7 emergency hotline and was quickly connected to an attorney.

Heritage Defense got to work right away and retained a local attorney for Jake and Sarah.

The family decided to agree to the interviews as long as our local attorney could be present for every one of them. The investigator accepted those terms, and the interviews were conducted the next day under the attorney’s supervision.

The investigator appeared satisfied with the responses and informed Jake and Sarah that CPS would continue their investigation and be in touch.

Our local attorney warned Jake and Sarah that these cases often dragged on for weeks or even months.

Time passed, and our local attorney regularly followed up with CPS for updates. Despite months of silence, CPS eventually confirmed they were still investigating. Our local attorney formally requested that the case be closed, citing there was no reason for it to remain open.

Several more months went by before CPS finally informed our local attorney that they would be closing the case.

Jake and Sarah later shared their experience: