Columnist Sandy Thompson: Concern grows for girl after custody change

Sandy Thompson

Friday, Jan. 11, 2002 | 4:25 a.m.

BEFORE AUG. 23 Jenny was described as a bright, outgoing girl who earned A's in school.

Today her grades reportedly have slipped to C's. She takes medication for depression and was hospitalized for allegedly expressing suicidal thoughts.

Jenny is only 9 years old.

Why the drastic change in just four months?

That's the question that must be answered in Family Court.

Judging from comments made before a recent hearing, Jenny's father believes the damage has been caused by her mother. The mother, on the other hand, says the girl is upset because the court ordered her to live with her father.

The father, Michael, claimed that he did not know the whereabouts of Jenny or her mother, Melinda, for four years. He filed for custody in Family Court. Melinda was in a confidential address program in California because of what she claimed was past domestic violence by Michael.

Melinda says Family Court gave her permission to move out of state and that it was she who could not obtain Michael's address so California authorities could collect back child support that was owed. Sources say Michael knew where Jenny was because he had been contacting her school, seeking information about her. Melinda was trying to work out the custody issue in the California courts when Clark County took jurisdiction and ordered Melinda to bring Jenny to Las Vegas.

The case was first profiled here Oct. 21 after Judge Bob Gaston ruled that Michael should have custody and ordered that neither Melinda nor her parents who live here have any contact with Jenny despite their close relationship.

Judges usually take concerns about parental alienation seriously, sometimes to the point of those concerns outweighing past allegations of domestic violence. Jenny allegedly has expressed frightening memories of her father.

When visitation was finally allowed two months later, Jenny told Melinda and others that she had tried to run away and her stepmother had hurt her. She also said she was taking a pill that made her feel awful. Yet no medication was sent with Jenny when she visited Melinda.

Alarmed, Melinda tried to file a police report but was rebuffed. When Jenny was returned to her father, she was put in a hospital for allegedly expressing suicidal thoughts. Since then, Melinda has tried to see Jenny, but an altercation occurred between Melinda and Michael and his wife. Melinda spent a night in jail, but relatives say she was not the aggressor.

Concerns about Jenny's welfare should have been discussed at a Dec. 20 hearing. It's not known what was said inside the courtroom because Michael's attorney asked that the hearing be closed. Then the judge issued a gag order in the case, so no one is talking. It is difficult to get both sides of a case when hearings are closed and records are sealed.

It's time to get to the bottom of what's happening to Jenny -- from Jenny herself and not through filtered versions from Mom, Dad or third parties.

The gag order may have silenced the adults, but the child is crying out to be heard.