Voices Against Filicide

020: Silenced No More - A mother's battles against the courts

1 h 20 min · 18 de mar de 2026
Portada del episodio 020: Silenced No More - A mother's battles against the courts

Descripción

Melissa is a Michigan mother and activist whose daughter was taken from her through the family court system. In this episode, she shares her story — from her daughter's father refusing to return her child in 2019, to her daughter disclosing sexual abuse at age three, to a system that repeatedly failed to protect them both.She also discusses the Rowan Act, legislation that would require law enforcement to intervene in parental kidnapping cases even without a custody order. Topics Covered: * Parental kidnapping and police inaction * Child sexual abuse disclosure and forensic interviews * Guardian ad litem bias * How the court system silences protective parents Resources:- RAINN: 1-800-656-4673 | rainn.org * Childhelp Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 * National DV Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 TRIGGER WARNING  This podcast contains deeply disturbing content, including firsthand accounts from parents and family members who have lost children to familicide—the murder of a child by a parent or caregiver. The stories are raw, emotional, and include details of immense loss, system failures, and trauma. Listeners are advised to take care, and may pause or stop the podcast if needed. Connect with Hope Hooton: Email: hopeinthepain@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_pain/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.pain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hopeinthepain Website: voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com [https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com]  Support & Subscribe: If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast to amplify the stories of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Voices Against Filicide Merch Shop: https://momcast-productions.myspreadshop.com/ The Rowan Project: https://therowanproject.org/ Production Credits: Written, Researched, and Hosted by: Hope Hooton Produced & Edited by: Rachel Holloway A Momcast Production

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34 episodios

episode 028: Wyland’s Story and Wyland’s Law: Turning Filicide Loss into Advocacy artwork

028: Wyland’s Story and Wyland’s Law: Turning Filicide Loss into Advocacy

In this episode, Hope Hooton speaks with Christy Camara about her son Wyland, who was killed at age 10 on March 2, 2020, when his father shot him and then himself. Christy describes the shock of arriving to crime scene tape, being taken to the police station without answers, and later saying goodbye at the hospital. She shares memories of traveling with Wyland and how grief reshaped her identity as a mother into advocacy. Christy explains how a restraining order with a firearm prohibition was not entered into California’s system for over eight months, allowing her ex-husband to legally buy a gun, and how this led to Wyland’s Law, passed in California in October 2025, requiring timely entry and verification. She also discusses her book, website, community birthday events honoring Wyland, and her work with Pierce’s Pledge to educate legal professionals and promote safe firearm storage during custody disputes. Check out Christy Camara's website here: Wyland’s Mom [https://wylandsmom.com/] TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains deeply disturbing content, including firsthand accounts from parents and family members who have lost children to familicide—the murder of a child by a parent or caregiver. The stories are raw, emotional, and include details of immense loss, system failures, and trauma. Listeners are advised to take care, and may pause or stop the podcast if needed. Connect with Hope Hooton: Email: hopeinthepain@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_pain/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.pain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hopeinthepain Website: voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com [https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com]  Support & Subscribe: If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast to amplify the stories of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Voices Against Filicide Merch Shop: https://momcast-productions.myspreadshop.com/ The Rowan Project: https://therowanproject.org/ Production Credits: Written, Researched, and Hosted by: Hope Hooton Produced & Edited by: Rachel Holloway A Momcast Production Voices Against Filicide is a part of Momcast Production LLC. All content, including but not limited to audio, written materials, and visual assets, are protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. © 2024 Momcast Production LLC. All rights reserved.

1 de jul de 202637 min
episode 027: When Family Court Overlooks Risk: Kathryn Zook on Custody, Abuse, and Reform artwork

027: When Family Court Overlooks Risk: Kathryn Zook on Custody, Abuse, and Reform

In this episode, Hope Hooton speaks with Kathryn Zook, a mental health and substance abuse professional and mother who shares her experience navigating the California family court system after leaving an abusive marriage. Kathryn describes years of custody proceedings in which her documented concerns were reframed as “high conflict,” while her ex-husband allegedly used their son as a weapon and her reports of abuse went nowhere, complicated by conflicts of interest involving his remarriage to a criminal DA in the same courthouse. She recounts the financial strain of legal battles, her son’s trauma-related behavioral struggles, and the turning point when he refused to return to his father at age 11. Kathryn discusses her memoir, “Your Honor, Not My Son’s Keeper,” her faith, and her advocacy for reform, including trauma training mandates for judges and evaluators. Get your copy here: Your Honor, Not My Son's Keeper by Kathryn Zook Your Honor, Not My Son's Keeper: 11:44: CADC CHt, Kathryn Zook: 9798902233732: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Your-Honor-Not-Sons-Keeper/dp/B0GSBZ2RMN] TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains deeply disturbing content, including firsthand accounts from parents and family members who have lost children to familicide—the murder of a child by a parent or caregiver. The stories are raw, emotional, and include details of immense loss, system failures, and trauma. Listeners are advised to take care, and may pause or stop the podcast if needed. Connect with Hope Hooton: Email: hopeinthepain@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_pain/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.pain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hopeinthepain Website: voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com [https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com]  Support & Subscribe: If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast to amplify the stories of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Voices Against Filicide Merch Shop: https://momcast-productions.myspreadshop.com/ The Rowan Project: https://therowanproject.org/ Production Credits: Written, Researched, and Hosted by: Hope Hooton Produced & Edited by: Rachel Holloway A Momcast Production Voices Against Filicide is a part of Momcast Production LLC. All content, including but not limited to audio, written materials, and visual assets, are protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. © 2024 Momcast Production LLC. All rights reserved.

24 de jun de 202618 min
episode 026: Inside Reunification Camps: Georgia Protective Parents on Family Court Failures and Child Safety with Kitty Mayo artwork

026: Inside Reunification Camps: Georgia Protective Parents on Family Court Failures and Child Safety with Kitty Mayo

In this episode Hope Hooton sits down with Kitty Mayo, organizer of Georgia Protective Parents, who shares how her stepsons were ordered into the Family Bridges reunification program after abuse allegations shifted from criminal to custody court, despite expert testimony. Mayo describes reunification camps as a for-profit, coercive system involving threats from transport agents, isolation from protective family, propaganda denying abuse, and the use of sealed records and gag orders that block transparency and data. She recounts paying $100,000 for a week-long program, challenges a gag order through appeal, and discusses efforts to pass Georgia legislation to ban these camps, which she says was ultimately blocked by political leaders and divorce attorneys. Mayo urges organizing state-by-state and calls the practice legalized trafficking. Follow Georgia Protective Parents on Instagram: (3) Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/georgiaprotectiveparents] TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains deeply disturbing content, including firsthand accounts from parents and family members who have lost children to familicide—the murder of a child by a parent or caregiver. The stories are raw, emotional, and include details of immense loss, system failures, and trauma. Listeners are advised to take care, and may pause or stop the podcast if needed. Connect with Hope Hooton: Email: hopeinthepain@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_pain/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.pain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hopeinthepain Website: voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com [https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com]  Support & Subscribe: If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast to amplify the stories of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Voices Against Filicide Merch Shop: https://momcast-productions.myspreadshop.com/ The Rowan Project: https://therowanproject.org/ Production Credits: Written, Researched, and Hosted by: Hope Hooton Produced & Edited by: Rachel Holloway A Momcast Production Voices Against Filicide is a part of Momcast Production LLC. All content, including but not limited to audio, written materials, and visual assets, are protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. © 2024 Momcast Production LLC. All rights reserved.

17 de jun de 202628 min
episode 025: Amari’s Story: A Mother’s Fight Against Filicide Pt. 2 artwork

025: Amari’s Story: A Mother’s Fight Against Filicide Pt. 2

In this episode Hope Hooton interviews Nakesa Sineath, who shares about losing her firstborn son to filicide, when she was 19. Nakesa recounts becoming a teen mom, Amari’s father’s inconsistency and manipulation, and earlier warning signs after Amari returned from his father’s care ill with walking pneumonia. In 2015, after months of no contact, she allowed Amari’s father to have him for two weeks; Amari cried at the handoff, she was prevented from speaking to him, and he was killed before his scheduled return. Nakesa remembers Amari’s gentle, loving personality and gets into the work she has done since to raise awarness and help make change.  Follow Nakesa Sineath: Instagram - (2) Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/life_of_mrs.sineath] Facebook - (14) Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/nakesasineathofficial/] YouTube - Nakesa Sineath - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@nakesasineath] Get your copies here: The Act Of Filicide: The Amari Barnhill Story: Barnhill, Nakesa: 9781979470988: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Act-Filicide-Amari-Barnhill-Story/dp/1979470987] Heaven Didn't Wait: Grieving, Surviving & Healing Post The Loss Of A Child: Barnhill, Nakesa: 9781077491656: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Didnt-Wait-Grieving-Surviving/dp/1077491654] BoldJourney: Reclaiming Voice Through Grief: Nakesa Sineath on Activism, Healing, and Honoring Amari – Bold Journey Magazine [https://boldjourney.com/reclaiming-voice-through-grief-nakesa-sineath-on-activism-healing-and-honoring-amari/] Connect with Hope Hooton: Email: hopeinthepain@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_pain/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.pain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hopeinthepain Website: voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com [https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com]  Support & Subscribe: If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast to amplify the stories of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Voices Against Filicide Merch Shop: https://momcast-productions.myspreadshop.com/ The Rowan Project: https://therowanproject.org/ Production Credits: Written, Researched, and Hosted by: Hope Hooton Produced & Edited by: Rachel Holloway A Momcast Production Voices Against Filicide is a part of Momcast Production LLC. All content, including but not limited to audio, written materials, and visual assets, are protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. © 2024 Momcast Production LLC. All rights reserved.

10 de jun de 202640 min
episode 024: Amari’s Story: A Mother’s Fight Against Filicide Pt. 1 artwork

024: Amari’s Story: A Mother’s Fight Against Filicide Pt. 1

In this episode Hope Hooton interviews Nakesa Sineath, who shares about losing her firstborn son to filicide, when she was 19. Nakesa recounts becoming a teen mom, Amari’s father’s inconsistency and manipulation, and earlier warning signs after Amari returned from his father’s care ill with walking pneumonia. In 2015, after months of no contact, she allowed Amari’s father to have him for two weeks; Amari cried at the handoff, she was prevented from speaking to him, and he was killed before his scheduled return. Nakesa remembers Amari’s gentle, loving personality and gets into the work she has done since to raise awarness and help make change.  Follow Nakesa Sineath: Instagram - (2) Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/life_of_mrs.sineath] Facebook - (14) Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/nakesasineathofficial/] YouTube - Nakesa Sineath - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@nakesasineath] Get your copies here: The Act Of Filicide: The Amari Barnhill Story: Barnhill, Nakesa: 9781979470988: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Act-Filicide-Amari-Barnhill-Story/dp/1979470987] Heaven Didn't Wait: Grieving, Surviving & Healing Post The Loss Of A Child: Barnhill, Nakesa: 9781077491656: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Didnt-Wait-Grieving-Surviving/dp/1077491654] BoldJourney: Reclaiming Voice Through Grief: Nakesa Sineath on Activism, Healing, and Honoring Amari – Bold Journey Magazine [https://boldjourney.com/reclaiming-voice-through-grief-nakesa-sineath-on-activism-healing-and-honoring-amari/] Connect with Hope Hooton: Email: hopeinthepain@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_in_the_pain/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hope.in.the.pain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hopeinthepain Website: voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com [https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com]  Support & Subscribe: If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast to amplify the stories of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Voices Against Filicide Merch Shop: https://momcast-productions.myspreadshop.com/ The Rowan Project: https://therowanproject.org/ Production Credits: Written, Researched, and Hosted by: Hope Hooton Produced & Edited by: Rachel Holloway A Momcast Production Voices Against Filicide is a part of Momcast Production LLC. All content, including but not limited to audio, written materials, and visual assets, are protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. © 2024 Momcast Production LLC. All rights reserved.

3 de jun de 202638 min