Andrew and Melissa Bardwell were at home with their children when a Child Protective Services investigator suddenly arrived at the family’s door.

The investigator told Melissa that they had received a report claiming the Bardwell children were being neglected. According to the allegations, the children were pale, had no food in the home, and were required to work in order to receive food.

Melissa and her husband, Andrew, knew the accusations were completely false. However, the CPS investigator was not interested in listening to them.

Melissa immediately contacted Heritage Defense by calling our 24/7 emergency hotline.

Our attorney stayed on the phone with Andrew and Melissa while the CPS worker was outside their home and helped guide them through the situation step by step.

After asking a few questions about the allegations, our attorney advised Andrew and Melissa to just allow CPS to lay eyes on the children. In order to do that, our attorney advised Andrew and Melissa to bring the kids onto the porch and not allow the investigator into the home.

Our attorney also suggested that Melissa take some pictures of their pantry and fridge to show the investigator that they had plenty of food.

Andrew and Melissa brought their children out onto the porch so the caseworker could see them.

The investigator reviewed the photos of the fridge and pantry and appeared satisfied with what she saw.

After CPS left, our attorney told Andrew and Melissa that he thought CPS would be satisfied with what they found and would close the case without taking any further action.

Within the following week, Andrew and Melissa were informed that the case had been closed.

As a precaution, Melissa later scheduled well-child visits with their pediatrician for several of their children. Their doctor confirmed that the children were healthy and developing normally.

When the case was officially closed, Melissa shared her experience with Heritage Defense:

The Bardwell family never expected CPS to show up at their door over accusations that were completely untrue.

But when the unexpected happened, they were grateful they did not have to handle it alone.

For families who are not members, a knock from CPS can raise immediate and difficult questions:

Heritage Defense exists to ensure families do not face those questions alone.

Learn how Heritage Defense can protect your family from an unfounded CPS investigation.