A Michigan mother is making a desperate plea for the return of her two daughters who were removed from her care years ago, only to allegedly suffer abuse in their adoptive home. Stacy Leyko of Harrietta, Michigan, is seeking justice and reunification with her children, Maude and Tilde Klimp, after their adoptive parents were incarcerated on child abuse charges in Tennessee.
According to Leyko, her daughters were taken by Wexford County Child Protective Services and placed with Jason and Jessica Klimp of Cadillac, Michigan, following the termination of her parental rights two of her six children. What was intended as a protective measure turned tragic, as the Klimps now face charges of first-degree aggravated child abuse in Tennessee.
“I fought for my children, but my voice was not heard,” Leyko states in her appeal. “These individuals, entrusted with my daughters’ care, instead inflicted years of abuse, neglect, and suffering.”
The case highlights troubling questions about oversight in the child welfare system and the evaluation process for adoptive parents. While details of the specific abuse allegations have not been fully disclosed, the charges against the Klimps suggest serious violations of the children’s safety and well-being.
Leyko, who maintains she was “pushed aside without just cause” during the original custody proceedings, is now calling for a complete investigation into how her daughters were placed in an allegedly abusive environment. She is specifically requesting reconsideration of the termination of her parental rights or, at minimum, the return of her daughters to their biological family.
“My daughters were not rescued—they were failed by a system that was supposed to protect them,” Leyko explains in her emotional appeal for justice for her children.
The case raises broader concerns about the safeguards in place to monitor children’s welfare after adoption and the challenges biological parents face when seeking to maintain connections with children who have been removed from their care.
- Leyko, who says she has never stopped loving or fighting for her daughters, continues to advocate for their return. “Please do not let them remain in the shadows of this tragedy. Let them come home to a mother and siblings who still hold their pictures, their memories, and their love in their hearts every single day,” she pleads.
As the legal proceedings against the Klimps continue in Tennessee, Leyko’s campaign for family reunification highlights the complex and often heartbreaking intersections of child welfare policy, parental rights, and the paramount concern for children’s safety. https://gofund.me/6395ad6e
