DCF: Schiavo Not Abused Or Exploited

The Associated Press ^ | April 16, 2005

[kingattax]

TAMPA, Fla. -- State investigators found no evidence that Terri Schiavo had been abused or exploited by either side of her family, according to documents released by Florida's Department of Children and Families.

The agency investigated 89 complaints dating back to 2001, when Schiavo's feeding tube was removed for the first time and the legal battle surrounding her right-to-die case intensified.

The calls alleged that the brain-damaged woman was being mistreated by her husband and her parents for financial gain. One complaint alleged that Schiavo's parents were selling videos of her through a Web site; another said Schiavo's husband wasn't spending money intended for her rehabilitation.

But investigators said they found no evidence that either her husband or parents were exploiting her, and often noted in their records that they found Schiavo well cared for on their visits to her Pinellas Park hospice.

The agency released the records Friday under court order.

Schiavo, 41, died last month after her feeding tube was removed for the third time, ending a bitter court battle between her husband, Michael Schiavo, and parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, over whether she would have wanted to live in a vegetative state.

The repeated allegations of abuse were based partly on bone scans showing Terri Schiavo suffered fractures and statements she made to family and friends that she was unhappy in her marriage.

Schiavo's husband has denied harming his wife. His lawyer said the fractures resulted from osteoporosis caused by the woman's years of immobility and complications of her medication.

Robert Schindler declined to comment there on the release of the DCF documents. An attorney for Michael Schiavo did not immediately return calls

[Peach]

See my post above. In fact, read the malpractice suit where doctors were sued for NOT catching that Terri was bulimic.

[fella]

The woman was murdered by her husband, I'd call that extremely abusive.

Oh come now. HE used lawyers and doctors to murder ..... ooops ....... I mean kill ....... uuuh ....... ummm ..... doo away with ....... no that's not it ....... miiiiiiimmmmmmm ..... oh yeah ........ put to a final rest, so it was all nice and legal. Beside a large group of lawyers... ooops ...... I mean judges alll approved.

[queenkathy]

I know it was reported she was over weight in school. But they fail to report that she went on Nutri System to lose all of that weight. If someone succeeds in a proven weight loss system, why would they then become bulimic years later?

I don't remember anything being documented that she was bulimic. None of her friends have stated that and her family was not aware of it. No where was that mentioned until after MS decided it was time for her to go. Can you source your statement?

[DustyMoment]

I have no source, but, I can bet that you were not present in the Schiavo's house to witness him beating his wife.

Granted, there is no conclusive evidence associating Terri's injuries with any "beatings" she might have received from Michael. However, there is a wealth of circumstantial evidence that, taken together appears to be very suspicious and Michael has never been investigated for any possible physical abuse he might have done.

[conservlib]

I am with you. I think starving a person to death was barbaric. But this whole crap about the husband beating her is pure vindictive speculation. There are so many eye witnesses who testified on this guy behalf that he spent years caring for her, in her hospital room. These Evangelical type need to be Christians first and stop spreading lies against this guy.

[pollywog]

Typical...they have a history of taking kids away from decent parents for utterly ridiculous 'abuse' charges and they say Terri was "well-treated". Give us a break ! The fires of hell are getting HOTTER

As a long time ( over 30 years) foster parent, I can VOUCH for every word you typed!!!! Children's "non-service" are a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!

[pollywog]

........and you BELIEVE THAT???
as one who has worked for 30 years with children's services, I can tell you they are a less than professional bunch!!!!!!!!

[queenkathy]

They were taken in late 1990 when she screamed during a physical therapy session. The Dr ordered bone scan to see why it was so painful for her. Not bad for someone who could not feel pain as felos reported. If that was the case it is only because of MS years of abuse and neglect. I say abuse because it is considered abusive to not take care of someone like Terri. There are many forms of abuse. Physical and emotional to say the least.

[pa mom]

And bulimia or anorexia can cause the bone loss, too.

[GeekDejure]

Is it possible that the guy never hit his wife?
=======

Possible but not likely. She would show up at work with bruises all over her body, and told her fellow workers is was caused by wrestling with Mikey. Yeah, sure, nobody who saw her bruises believed it for even 1 second !!!

Then on the fateful night, after she told Mikey she wanted a divorce, she wound up on the floor... half in and half out of the bathroom... laying with her face straight down on the floor and her hands around her neck !!! That's exactly the position she was in when the ER team arrived... not because Mikey called 911 immediately... but only AFTER her brother arrived on the scene !!!

Don't try to tell me that a loving, blameless husband would NOT call 911 immediately... and would NOT cuddle her and put her on the bed or couch for her comfort... not to mention that Mikey REFUSED to give Terri CPR, despite the fact that he was thoroughly trained in such procedures !!!

Now just sit down and shut up, conservlib, cuz you have NO idea what you're talking about !!!

[DustyMoment]

I seem to recall hearing that those bone scans were taken early in her illness, not after "years of immobility". Anyone else remeber hearing that?

According to court documents, the bone scans were taken secretly 13 months after her collapse. The bone scans, which first came to light (according to the parents and their original attorney Pat Anderson) in 2002, revealed that she had the following:

1) 2 broken ankles
2) 2 broken or severely damaged kneecaps
3) Broken right femur (middle of the bone)
4) Broken pelvis
5) Several broken ribs
6) Broken back
7) Skull fracture

MS has never been investigated for any possible link to these injuries, either.

[pollywog]

we thought DCF would TELL THE TRUTH.......you believe them?? I am wondering today if corruption in our country has reached a no return. Time will show all of you that you are on the WRONG side of Terri. Terri was murdered!!!! No amount of covering it up and smooth coating by the AP story and DCF will convince this woman otherwise!!!!!!!!!

[conservlib]

I don't think about Mike Schiavo, I have a life!

I don't know the guy, or care to waste my time dwelling on this one stupid story; as many millions of Christians are killed and enslaved without any of you hypocrites lifting a finger. Stop that stupid obsession with Schiavo, and get active in protecting your fellow Christians in southern Sudan from the systematic holocaust by their Arab Muslim government. Damn it man.

[Cboldt]

... her tube was put in there at the hospital (in 1990), NOT "at Michael's request for the convenience of the nurses"

I had a brief exchange with Nathan Zachary on the subject of "tube in - tube out," and neither of us was able to come up with a chronology.

It's possible that both contentions are true. The evidence [that "we" have] is not unequivocal. A feeding tube was provided in 1990, no question; unknown is whether there was an interim period where Terri was fed by mouth; that a feeding tube was present in 2003 - 2005 is also agreed. But I've seen no accounting for the entire period from 1990 to 2005.

[pa mom]

bulimia is not related to weight gain in most cases, though some girls (esp.) use it on a short term basis. It is a psychological disorder. It can be hard to detect, friends would not necessarily know.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending anyone here. Just putting out facts on bulimia.

[queenkathy]

First of all, you don't know that they ARE lies. That's just it, there are too many circumstances. Where there's smoke there's fire. They should have let her live and done some thourough investigations. By an outside source who wasn't donating to the judge, didn't hire MS as a nurse at the jail, and on and on.

I don't think I'm NOT being a Christian because there are unanswered questions. Enough said about Christians not being Christian, thank you.

[Peach]

LOL!

Where are you getting this stuff? The internet rumor sites like FR?

Bone scan - the doctors who actually saw Terri, and the radiologist who did follow-up x-rays saw nothing suspicious.
It only showed a compression fracture of Lumbar 1 (which many with osteoporosis (like bulimics) walk around with, and he said could have even happened when she collapsed), a possibly *bruised* femur (ditto), and multiple ribs showing signs of injury, which he said could be caused by CPR. The rest were common joint problems from Phys. Therapy and treated by her therapists.
http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/trialctorder11-02-scan.pdf

[DustyMoment]

With which comment, I have made several?

[Peach]

If you read her discharge summary from the hospital, which I linked above, you will see that she had the feeding tube inserted AT the hospital. Not after. And was never fed by mouth after that. She failed three years, consecutive years, of swallow tests. At which time it was recommended they be discontinued.

[hershey]

Abrams on cable tv last night, MSNBC? Whatever, he went on and on sarcastically about the Schiavo case and how everything Michael's enemies and her family claimed had been proven to be lies. Michael, her loving husband, had done Terri a favor by killing her. Abrams was nasty, in your face about it.