A Tarrant County couple whose infant son died in 2023 are suing Texas child-welfare officials, alleging the state removed their toddler daughter within days of the boy's death based on an autopsy report that never actually existed. Chelsea and Timothy Ragland filed the federal lawsuit accusing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the nonprofit contractor ACH Child & Family Services (operating as Our Community Our Kids), and seven current or former employees of fabricating evidence and violating the family's due-process rights.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Raglands allege that DFPS wrongfully removed their 2-year-old daughter after their 2-month-old son, Timothy Ragland Jr., died in 2023. According to the complaint, the infant died suddenly while being fed.
DFPS and Our Community Our Kids filed a petition to remove the surviving daughter from the home less than 72 hours after the baby's death, the lawsuit states. At the time of the removal, the Raglands' daughter was reportedly a healthy toddler with no injuries, no medical concerns, and no history of abuse, per the complaint. She was taken from the family's home and placed with her maternal grandmother.
A Report That Allegedly Didn't Exist
Central to the Raglands' case is their claim that the removal affidavit relied on a preliminary autopsy report attributed to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office — a report the complaint says did not actually exist. Per an attorney news release cited in the lawsuit, the state's records and filings referenced that nonexistent report at least 52 times. The medical examiner's office ultimately listed the infant's cause of death as undetermined, the Star-Telegram reports.
The state's case against the family was dismissed by a Tarrant County judge in April 2024. Even so, the lawsuit states that Chelsea Ragland was found culpable of neglectful supervision and physical abuse for leaving her infant son in his father's care, and that both parents remain listed on the Texas child-abuser central registry.
Attorney Imani Maatuka said the Raglands endured a year of pain and humiliation and fought the case to trial before it was ultimately dismissed. “Texas CPS turned the Raglands' grief into a case against them,” Maatuka said, adding that the family deserved compassion after losing their son.
What the Family Is Seeking
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages along with removal of both parents from the state's child-abuser central registry, according to the complaint. DFPS told the Star-Telegram that the department does not comment on pending litigation. Our Community Our Kids did not respond to the paper's request for comment.
DFPS policy requires the agency to obtain a court order before removing a child except in cases involving exigent circumstances, in compliance with the Fourth Amendment, and only when there is no other reasonable way to ensure a child's safety, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The agency's independent Office of Child Safety investigates child fatalities, near-fatalities, and serious injuries, reviewing state and national trends to shape prevention programs, the department says.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Texas Child Welfare
The Raglands' case echoes other recent disputes over how Texas handles child-removal decisions. A separate lawsuit detailed by The Texas Tribune alleged the state investigated a family without a proper hearing and determined there was “reason to believe” the parents had engaged in medical neglect after CPS took their newborn for three weeks. In that case, the ACLU of Texas announced its own lawsuit challenging DFPS internal policies following what it described as the forcible removal of a newborn from a Dallas couple, alleging violations of state and constitutional law and threats to parental rights.
The Tribune has also reported more broadly on recent court rulings and new laws making it tougher for the state to remove children from their homes. Separately, federal data shows Texas' foster-care entry rate per 1,000 children has consistently run lower than the national rate, with entries falling from roughly 9,000 in 2022 to about 8,500 in 2023, according to the U.S. Administration for Children and Families. A Texas child-welfare trade group has also noted that while removals stemming from investigations have continued to decline, family-preservation removals rose from 1,355 in 2022 to 2,716 in 2023.
