I Came Home From A Hospital Shift To Find My Fiancée And Baby Gone. The Police Called It A “Civil Matter” And Refused To Help. How Do I Find My Daughter?

The First Saturday

Saturday morning arrived freezing cold with clear blue skies. I’d barely slept the night before, too nervous about my first unsupervised visit. I pulled up to the exchange location at 8:50, 10 minutes early. Becca’s car was already there. She got out holding Lily, bundled in a pink coat I’d never seen before.

Lily saw me and smiled. “Dada.”

My heart nearly exploded. I walked over and took her from Becca’s arms. She came willingly, grabbing my jacket collar.

“Have her back by 5.” Becca’s voice was flat and cold.

“I know. 5:00.”

Becca stared at me for a long moment. “If anything happens to her…”

“Nothing will happen. She’s my daughter.”

Becca got in her car and drove away without looking back. I buckled Lily into the car seat I bought and installed yesterday. She kicked her feet and babbled. We drove to the park near my apartment. The playground was mostly empty this early. I lifted Lily out and set her on the ground. She walked now, steady and confident. She headed straight for the swings.

I followed and lifted her into the toddler swing. She laughed when I pushed her gently. “Higher.”

“Okay.”

No one was watching us. No monitor taking notes. No one judging every interaction. Just me and my daughter at the park on a Saturday morning. I pushed her for 20 minutes until my arms got tired. She didn’t want to stop.

“More Dada. More.”

“Okay, a few more minutes. Then we’ll go play on the slide.”

I took out my phone and snapped photos. Lily smiling on the swing. Lily pointing at a bird. Lily picking up leaves. I sent three pictures to my mother. She responded immediately with heart emojis and crying faces.

After the playground, we walked around the park. Lily picked up sticks and rocks. She said new words constantly. Dog. Tree. Car. Ball. I repeated everything back to her, encouraging her vocabulary.

We found a bench and shared the snacks I’d packed. Apple slices, crackers, juice box. She ate messily, getting crumbs everywhere. I didn’t care.

At noon we drove through for lunch. Lily ate chicken nuggets in her car seat while I drove us to a different park across town. She fell asleep on the drive. I parked and let her nap, sitting in the driver’s seat and watching her breathe. Her face looked peaceful, relaxed.

She woke after 40 minutes and we played at the second playground. She was braver here, climbing higher, going down bigger slides. I stayed close but let her explore. A few other parents arrived with their kids. They smiled at us. Normal Saturday morning at the park. Just a dad with his daughter. Nothing unusual. Nothing supervised.

At 3:00, Lily started getting cranky. “Time to head home.”

I drove back toward the exchange location, taking the long way. She fell asleep again in her seat. I pulled into the parking lot at 4:50. Becca’s car wasn’t there yet. I kept driving around the block, not wanting to wake Lily early. At 4:58, I parked and gently unbuckled her. She stirred but didn’t wake fully.

Becca pulled in at 5:00 on the dot. I got out holding Lily. Becca walked over and reached for her. “How was she?”

“Perfect. We had a great day.”

“Any problems?”

“No problems. She ate well, took two naps, played at the park.”

Becca took Lily from my arms. Lily woke up and looked confused. “Mama?”

“Yeah baby, we’re going home now.”

Lily looked back at me over Becca’s shoulder. “Bye Dada.”

“Bye sweetie. I love you.”

I watched them drive away. My arms felt empty. My chest ached. But I had another Saturday coming in 7 days.

The CPS Report

Wednesday afternoon, my phone rang while I was at work. Unknown number. I stepped into the hallway to answer.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson? This is Sandra Michaels from Child Protective Services.”

My stomach dropped. “We received a complaint regarding your daughter, Lily.”

“What kind of complaint?”

“The caller alleged you returned the child with injuries after your visitation last Saturday. We’re required to investigate.”

“What injuries? I didn’t hurt her.”

“I understand this may be upsetting. I need to schedule a time to speak with you and inspect your home.”

“When?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Tomorrow morning.”

I agreed and hung up. My hands shook. I called Jeffrey immediately. “Becca filed a CPS complaint. She’s claiming I hurt Lily.”

He sighed heavily. “Of course she did. What’s the allegation?”

“Some kind of injury. They wouldn’t give details.”

“Don’t panic. CPS has to investigate every complaint. Just cooperate fully and tell the truth. They’ll see there’s nothing to it.”

I could barely focus the rest of my shift. That night I cleaned my apartment top to bottom even though it was already clean. I checked every corner for anything that might look concerning.

The next morning Sandra Michaels arrived at 9:00. She was a tired-looking woman in her 40s carrying a thick folder. She asked to see where Lily would sleep. I showed her the small bedroom area I’d set up. She took notes. She asked about my work schedule, my child care plans, my support system. I answered every question honestly.

She inspected my kitchen, bathroom, living room. She opened my refrigerator and cabinets. More notes. “Can you tell me what happened during your visit Saturday?”

“We went to the park. She played on the swings and slides. We had lunch. She took naps in the car. We played at a second park. That’s it.”

“Did Lily fall or get hurt in any way?”

“Not that I saw. She was fine the whole day.”

Sandra pulled out a photo from her folder. “This bruise on her leg. When did this occur?”

I looked at the photo. Small purple bruise on Lily’s shin. “I don’t know. She didn’t have that when she was with me.”

“Are you certain?”

“Positive. She was wearing pants the whole day. I would have noticed if she got hurt.”

Sandra made more notes. “I’ll need to verify some information. I’ll be in touch.”

She left after 30 minutes. I called Jeffrey again. “The bruise is on her shin. I swear she didn’t get it while she was with me.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Does Lily go to daycare?”

“Yeah. Becca mentioned she’s in daycare 3 days a week.”

“Get the name and address. I’ll have someone check if they have incident reports.”

2 days later, Jeffrey called back. “The daycare has documentation. Lily fell on the playground Friday afternoon. They noted the bruise and had Becca sign an incident report. The bruise happened the day before your visit.”

Relief flooded through me. “So CPS will close the case?”

Jeffrey sounded satisfied. “Already did. Sandra called me this morning. She reviewed the daycare records and closed the investigation. No finding of abuse or neglect. But this shows Becca is getting desperate. She’s willing to make false allegations to hurt your case. That works in our favor long term.”

I hung up and sat on my couch. My hands were still shaking from stress. Becca had tried to paint me as someone who hurt our daughter. She’d called CPS and lied. The woman I’d planned to marry was willing to destroy me to keep Lily away.