CALEDONIA, Mich. — "His little life has to mean something,” Brandi Morey-Pols said through tears in front of her Caledonia home on Tuesday.
Brandi is grieving the loss of her son, Rowan Morey, who was reportedly found dead last week in an apparent murder-suicide. Local media in mid-Michigan says the Isabella County Sheriff's Office is investigating it as such.
Family believes Rowan was killed while in the custody of his father, Michael Winchell. Winchell was reportedly found dead as well.
For years, Brandi, Rowan's mother, says she had reported Winchell's behavior in family court and to Child Protective Services. Winchell shaved Rowan's head multiple times, bald. Brandi says this happened multiple times.
“This man abused this child. I used every resource possible. I called CPS. I was screamed and berated and told by the courts that I had misused the system and it was for children that need it,” Brandi said.
Brandi says she noticed Rowan had started to self-harm, banging his head on the metal table in the dining room. She got the boy counseling, trying everything she could to help him.
Brandi reported Rowan as missing on Aug. 19 to the Isabella County Sheriff's Office when Winchell didn't drop Rowan off on time for a custody exchange.
He was found dead days later.
“I would always agonize over if he was going to come home or not. This time he didn’t,” Morey-Pols said.
Now, Brandi wants change in the family court system so no other parent goes through a loss like hers.
“This cause tragically illustrates that our family court system is not merely flawed but fundamentally broken. There are not cracks but gaping holes that allow children like Rowan fall through with catastrophic consequences,” Jerry Pols, Rowan's grandfather, said.
FOX 17 called the Isabella County Sheriff's Office twice to receive information on the investigation and left messages with the sheriff.
Rowan's funeral services are set to be held tomorrow.
“My worst nightmare come true,” Brandi said.
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