Colby Nielson is a young 20 yr old Utah father to a three week old baby girl named
Kaylee. Through out the pregnancy, Colby and his then girlfriend
Amily, were pushed to relinquish for adoption by Amily’s own parents.
Discussions were had and even a meeting with a potential couple (who are
friends of the mother’s parents). Colby and Amily decided adoption was
not an option and when Kaylee was born, they brought her home to
Colby’s parents’ home. Colby doted upon his new daughter. Amily seemed
unsure. At some point, Amily simply left, leaving Colby alone to care
for his newborn daughter.
Colby got the shock of his life when he received word that Amily,
under the pressure of her strict uber religious parents, had signed
relinquishment papers and the couple seeking to adopt Kaylee had
obtained a court order demanding the infant’s turnover from Colby’s
care. They sent police to his home to snatch his baby girl.
Colby was on Kaylee’s birth certificate. Kaylee even had his last
name. Paternity was verified. And yet, Utah law allows unwed mothers
to relinquish their children for adoption without the permission or
knowledge of the child’s father. Colby isn’t alone in this. There are
numerous men still fighting against the kidnapping of their children.
Some have been fighting for years and years.
Colby’s heartbreaking story came across as a simple Facebook post
asking for shares. The public was outraged that the courts could demand
a father hand over his child to strangers without any notice when he’d
done nothing wrong. Soon media began picking up the story and a sobbing
Colby pleads with the baby snatching adopters to give him back his
daughter.
The names of the baby snatchers were revealed publicly and they
received a great deal of angry hate mail from an outraged public. It
was the same couple they’d talked with prior to Kaylee’s birth, the
friends of Amily’s parents. Out of the blue, with no notice to Colby or
his lawyer, Kaylee was simply given back to her mother and Colby has
yet to see his baby girl. The baby snatchers made a public statement
claiming they did not know that Colby wanted to parent. This claim was
refuted quickly when Colby’s lawyer revealed text messages between Colby
and the baby snatcher woman, begging them to not take his daughter and
to give her back. The baby snatcher woman responded with “This is god’s
will” and “it will be an open adoption” and “you’ll be part of the
family”.
So….what was that about not knowing he wanted her again? And their
insistence that he’d met with them prior to Kaylee’s birth and they
thought he was totally on board with the adoption? Well, let’s
see….meeting with a potential couple does not equal consent to an
adoption and I would think taking his daughter home with him from the
hospital was also a sign he clearly had no plans on relinquishing.
Amily still has baby Kaylee and is refusing Colby contact. His
lawyer is working hard to right this wrong. Many speculate the mother
may try to pass baby Kaylee off to a new couple. Given how ridiculously
biased Utah law is, no doubt she is keeping Kaylee from him not only as
punishment for refusing to go through with the adoption, but to also
claim lack of interest/abandonment so she can simply give Kaylee up
again.
A small few are trying to claim the fight is over, but this fight is far from it. It won't be over until Kaylee is back with her Daddy.
