.
. WELL,
. WELL, TONIGHT A JOINT KING5 NBC NEWS INVESTIGATION IS
DELIVERING RESULTS THAT COULD
AFFECT CHILD ABUSE CASES ACROSS
WESTERN WASHINGTON.
LAST YEAR WE REVEALED A TAOCMA
DR. CONSIDERED ONE OF THE
STATE'S TOP CHILD ABUSE
EXPERTS.
LACK'S CREDENTIALS IN HER FIELD
AND HER INPUT LED TO SOME
CHILDREN NEEDLESSLY BEING
REMOVED FROM THEIR HOMES.
AND NOW PROSECUTORS ARE
QUESTIONING HER WORK IN THESE
HIGH STAKES CASES KING5 TAYLOR
AND MIRFENDERESKI REPORTS IT
JUST FEELS LIKE WE CAN BREATHE
A LITTLE BIT MORE NOW.
I FEEL LIKE A WORRY A LITTLE
BIT LESS.
MEGAN CARTER OF KENT IS ONE
OF SEVERAL PARENTS RELIEVED TO
HEAR ONE OF THE STATE'S GO TO
EXPERTS ON CHILD ABUSE.
DR. ELIZABETH WOODS IS OUT
OF THE PICTURE FOR SEVEN YEAR
OLD DAUGHTER ELLIE TOLD US LAST
YEAR HOW THE DOCTOR'S
ACCUSATIONS AFFECTED HER YOUNG
LIFE.
THEY WANTED MOM.
I LOOKED AT MY MOM VISIT ME.
SHE WAS MY MOM.
BUT THE PEOPLE IN A JOINT KING5
AN NBC NEWS INVESTIGATION LAST
YEAR WE REVEALED DR. WOODS
ACCUSED LEE'S MOTHER OF ABUSING
A CHILD BY GIVING HER
UNNECESSARY MEDICAL TREATMENTS,
PUTTING HER IN GRAVE DANGER
EVEN THOUGH WE FOUND THE DOCTOR
DIDN'T HAVE EVIDENCE TO BACK UP
THE CLAIMS.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN THAT
CAN MAKE US WHOLE AGAIN.
DR. WOODARDS OPINION CARRIED
WEIGHT AND THE STATE TOOK
MEGAN'S TWO CHILDREN AWAY FROM
HER FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
YEAH, EISERMAN IMMEDIAETLY CKIM
ME AND MY MOM WANTED THAT.
ELLIE CHEERED WHEN HER MOM
FIRST TOLD HER THE NEWS.
DR. WOODS IS NO LONGER EMPLOYED
AT TACOMA'S MARY BRIDGE
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND LAST
MONTH THE STATE REMOVED HER
FROM A ROSTER OF SELECT DOCTORS
CPS DEPENDS ON IN SUSPECTED
CASES OF CHILD ABUSE.
REMEMBER WHEN I TOLD YOU LAST
WEEK THAT SHE'S GONE NOW?
THE CHANGES FOLLOW OUR FINDINGS
THAT DR. WOODS LACKS KEY
MEDICAL TRAINING IN DETECTING A
SUBTLE BUT IMPORTANT SIGNS
OF CHILD ABUSE.
WE REVIEWED FOUR CASES WHERE
WOODS SAID CHILDREN HAD BEEN
ABUSED AND MEGAN'S
2019
2019 OF
2019 OF KINGCOUNTY JUDGED RIPPED APART HER TESTIMONY SAYING HER
ACCUSATIONS WERE WITHOUT
SUPPORTING FACTUAL BASIS AND IN
THREE OTHER CASES DIFFERENT
DOCTORS WHO WEIGHED IN
DISAGREED WITH WOODARDS
ASSESSMENT THAT THE CHILDREN
HAD BEEN INTENTIONALLY HURT.
THIS SILVERDALE PEDIATRICIAN
WAS AMONG THAT I WOULD STAKE MY
MEDICAL LICENSE ON THE FACT
THIS WAS NOT ABUSE.
DR. WOODARDS HAS NEVER
RESPONDED TO INTERVIEW REQUESTS
AND MARY BRIDGID PREVIOUSLY
DEFENDED THE DOCTOR'S
EXPERTIZE.
BUT LAST YEAR ON THE SAME DAY
KING5 AND NBC NEWS PUBLISHED
THE STORY, THE HOSPITAL TOOK
ACTION A TOP EXECUTIVE TOLD
EMPLOYEES MARY BRIDGE WAS
BRINGING IN OUTSIDE EXPERTS TO
REVIEW ITS CHILD ABUSE PROGRAM
UNDER WOODS'S LEADERSHIP.
MARY PBRB SPOKESWOMAN RECENTLY
CONFIRMED DR. WOODS LEFT THE
HOSPITAL TO PURSUE OTHER
OPPORTUNITIES BUT SHE DIDN'T
ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER
THE HOSPITAL FIRED WOODARDS OR
IF SHE LEFT BY CHOICE SEATTLE
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL THAT
MANAGES THE STATE CHILD ABUSE
PREVENTION PROGRAM LEFT OPEN
THE POSSIBILITY THAT WOODS
COULD SOMEDAY REJOIN THE
STATE'S ROSTER OF CHILD ABUSE
EXPERTS.
WELL, MEGAN CARTER'S CASE WAS
EVENTUALLY DISMISSED IN FAMILY
COURT.
WOODS HAS WEIGHED IN ON AT
LEAST 40 CRIMINAL CASES IN THE
REGION INCLUDING AT LEAST 17
ACTIVE CASES WHERE THE STAKES
ARE HIGH.
SOME PARENTS COULD BE HEADED TO
PRISON.
SO YOU BELIEVE THAT WITHOUT DR.
WOODWAY IN THIS WOULDN'T
HAPPEN?
YES.
HAPPEN? YES. ONE OF THOSE PENDING CRIMINAL
CASES BELONGS TO BAYLEN
ARMENDARIZ, A 21 YEAR OLD NAVY
SAILOR FROM BREMERTON AFTER
WOODS CONCLUDED HER TWIN BABIES
FRACTURES WERE THE RESULT
OF ABUSE.
KITSAP COUNTY PROSECUTORS
CHARGED BAILIN WITH FELONY
CHILD ABUSE.
DID YOU ABUSE YOUR TWINS?
NO.
SHE HIRED THREE SPECIALIZED
DOCTORS WHO STUDIED X-RAYS AND
MEDICAL RECORDS FINDING ABUSE
WAS UNLIKELY.
INSTEAD, DOCTORS CONCLUDED A
METABOLIC BONE DISORDER LIKELY
LED TO THE BREAKS.
BUT PROSECUTORS LISTENED TO
WOODARDS OPINION THAT NOTHING
COULD HAVE CAUSED THE TWINS
INJURIES EXCEPT INTENTIONAL
VIOLENCE.
AND BAYLEN LOST CUSTODY OF HER
BOYS FOLLOWING OUR
INVESTIGATION AREA PROSECUTOR
ARE NOW QUESTIONING DR. WATT'S
CREDIBILITY.
LAST WEEK THURSTON COUNTY
PROSECUTORS OUTED HER TO A LIST
OF EXPERTS WHOSE TRUTHFULNESS
HAS BEEN CHALLENGED.
AND LAST YEAR IN PIERCE COUNTY,
DR. WOODARDS NAME LANDED ON A
SIMILAR LIST SINCE JUNE, THE
PIERCE COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S
OFFICE HAS BEEN SENDING LETTERS
TO DEFENSE LAWYERS AND ALL
PENDING CRIMINAL CASES
INVOLVING DR. WOODARDS
NOTIFYING THEM OF POTENTIAL
IMPEACHMENT EVIDENCE AGAINST
HER ALONG WITH A COPY OF OUR
STORY AND PROSECUTORS IN
KING AND KITSAP COUNTY SAID
IT'S POSSIBLE THEY MIGHT DO THE
SAME BACK IN BREMERTON BALANCE
AS SHE FOUGHT FOR MORE THAN A
YEAR TO PROVE HER INNOCENCE.
BUT SHE COULDN'T FATHOM ANOTHER
DAY WITHOUT HER VOICE WAS
REALLY HARD TO JUST BE LIKE OK,
FINE LIKE I BVID I'M TIRED LIKE
NOBODY LISTENS THE EVIDENCE
ANYWAYS GOT TO KNOW WHAT TOOK
TO QUIT SOMETIMES.
LAST MONTH BAYLEN SIGNED A DEAL
WITH KITSAP COUNTY TO BE ABLE
TO VISIT HER NOW TWO YEAR OLD
TWINS IN AN EMOTIONAL REUNION
IN FEBRUARY THE FIRST TIME
SINCE THEY WERE INFANTS CLAIBON
BAYLEN GOT TO HUG HER BOYS
AFTER LEARNING ABOUT WOODARDS
DEPARTURE, SHE SAID SHE HOPES
AUTHORITIES WILL TAKE ANOTHER
LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE TO GET HER
NAME CLEARED.
MY MOM AND HER BOYS BACK HOME
JAYLAN MIRFENDERESKI KING5
NEWSCAM AND KITSAP COUNTY WHERE
BALAN'S CASE IS BASED,
PROSECUTORS SAID AFTER A KING5
AND NBCNC STORY THEY BEGAN A
REVIEW OF DR. HIS WORK.
IT'S NOT CLEAR HOW THAT COULD
AFFECT BALAN'S CASE OR