Important announcement at the end of this post 2016

 On July 17, 2014, my sisters Sydney & Dani Wolferts ran away after we tried to take our dad to court for abuse. They were found on January 3, 2016. On March 17, 2016 the judge ordered for them to be sent back to Kansas. After our dad has refused and delayed many orders, we finally have trial set at the end of April 2018 to have the abuse petition heard.

I have the deepest respect and love for the amazing life that Ellie Wiesel lived. He passed away today at the age of 87. For those of you who don't recognize his name, this man not only survived the absolute terror of the Nazi camps but then dedicated his whole life to making sure that the world would never forget. I will never forget his legacy.

It was both intriguing and shocking to me that Ellie had to spend so much time convincing others of what was going on. Even while his friends, family and neighbors were being rounded up into very small communities and started being put onto trains, nobody wanted to believe that they were being sent to labor camps where they would be exterminated. They wanted to believe what they were being told by the Nazi soldiers--that they were going to a less crowded and wonderful new place to live. He begged and pleaded many times with his friends but they didn't want to believe that things could be so awful...

It is absolutely appalling to me that even today, there are many who do not believe that the Holocaust ever happened. Many times, I've thought about why this could be and it is apparent to me that those people do not want to believe that something SO horrific took place in our history--very similarly to how Ellie's Jewish community didn't believe him as he begged them not to step foot on the trains which led them to their deaths.

The reason why I have pondered this topic so much is largely because of what I've been through. I have seen many abused children receive responses of disbelief from outside adults and peers when they try to speak out about what is happening to them. When I first publicly announced that my father abused me and my sisters (to shed light on the truth due to the other theories floating around of why they ran), there was so much controversy, confusion and even disbelief--even coming even from those who had known us since we were young children. It was like people did not want to believe that a member of their family, community and/or church could ever be abusive children--because that thought would be too horrific and would change the way they viewed that person.

One of the most difficult challenges in this case is rallying support from those who's fears are blocking their knowledge of the truth. If you are following this page because of a similar experience in your life, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

Sydney and Dani weren't ever heard, and now they've been with our father for almost 4 months with no contact. 107 days of nothing except for what they said to the GAL on court record: that since being picked up from Slate Canyon, they've been extremely roughed up, traumatized, and STILL want the truth to be heard. They've been put in a program that harms children and have not been allowed to contact us. They have no idea how hard we are fighting, or all of the support they have online.

I believe the public eye has been extremely important, because it has forged a path of transparency on what has been going on in the case, which is something we never had before 2014. However, due to my current criminal case this will be my last post for a little while. Both this blog and my Facebook page are being handed over to a group of supporters, where regular updates will be shared from our newly merged page for Sydney and Dani.

I love you all. My prayers are with you and each of your individual trials. I am so grateful for all of you who have chosen to "like" my Facebook page, follow this blog and proudly show your support for my sisters, these two brave young women who have tried and tried to speak out. Keep their story alive by continuing to participate. Thank you. -Brittany

https://www.facebook.com/WolfertsSistersJustice/

May 21, 2016

Update on Current Hearings

SYDNEY & DANI SPEAK FOR THE FIRST TIME.
[Sorry in advance for the funny spacing.]
I am going to write a very brief summary of what took place during the May 4th & 5th phone hearings. There have been a lot of things happening over the past month & as soon as I prepare an update, it seems to be overtaken by a new order. I have attached the public audio files of the hearings, which can be found on Utah Family Law TV's YouTube channel. I highly recommend reviewing these audio files if you have ANY question of what went on in the hearings, however if you don't have time then please read the short summary below:

Since it's been a little while--remember that on April 13th Judge Johnson gave my father ONE WEEK to have my sisters placed in a neutral home in Kansas, that the girls should be immediately taken out of the controversial Pruter program, and that they needed an evaluation done by an agreed-upon, legitimate therapist.

Essentially, on May 4th the Court was presented with the information that my mom had neither seen nor heard from Sydney and Dani, despite many attempted supervised phone calls since April 13th. The GAL's document was also given to the court, where she detailed a highly worrisome trail of my father continually blocking her from speaking to her clients, etc. since April 13th. Judge Johnson did not request that Sydney and Dani be removed from his home as she had previously ordered, but she did arrange a time for my sisters to go to their bishop's home that night to have a phone call with their GAL (they would then go back to our dad's home, after speaking to her and knowing it was going to be presented in court and Brian was going to hear it all). It was determined that there would be a hearing the next morning, where the GAL would present what Sydney and Dani said.

On May 5th, the GAL presented what my sisters said, and it greatly concerns me. First of all, they stated multiple times that they wanted to say more, but were afraid of the "negative repercussions". They felt like they couldn't say their truth of how things were going. They said that they had been extremely "roughed up" and "traumatized" when they were taken from Slate Canyon. They said they wanted the "truth to come out" but repeatedly talked about the repercussions if they remained in Brian's home. They said that they didn't want to hurt anyone and wanted our dad and Angie to know they loved them, however they wanted to be taken out of his home NOW. They begged for an evaluation to be done, to prove that they aren't lying (which means many adults must be telling them they're liars). 

They said they also loved me and our mom very much. Sydney told the GAL that the last order that Brian showed her was the 90-day Restraining Order, which hasn't been in affect for months. Sydney had been told (and still believed) that she wasn't allowed to have any contact with her mom or older sister. Syd and Dani believed that they were alone in dealing with this nightmare, and they had no clue that anyone was fighting for them. They are most likely never alone and watched constantly. They even have a counselor at school, who is not a school counselor. They have zero access to the outside world--the only site they can be on is the school website. (In other cases where children are put in this program, the therapists or parents instruct the school that they are not allowed to be on the internet and the school aids in the restriction.)

Jarom Bishop (our father's attorney) made one argument on May 5th: that it is Brian's "constitutional rights" to have Sydney and Dani not be placed (even temporarily) in another home while they're evaluated. Going against the previous order, Judge Johnson ruled that Syd and Dani will still be evaluated, but they will not leave his home.

It gets more horrific: Last week, Jarom Bishop filed to remove the GAL. He and my father succeeded. The only court authority that had met with my sisters, who they trusted, is no longer able to protect them. My father has claimed since the first few hearings that the GAL was biased. This is so far from the truth! He wanted her off of the case because Sydney and Dani's desires do not coincide with his. They are the GAL's clients, and she was doing her job in giving them a voice in court.

My heart is breaking and my head is sorely confused. I have never seen a judge not only do nothing when an order is violated on all accounts, but go back on the order in favor of the parent who committed the violations. Sydney and Dani are now out of school in Topeka, and with our abuser 24/7. We have still heard nothing from them. They were not allowed to call their mother on Mother's Day. I doubt we will be able to wish Sydney a happy birthday in three days. 

I'm disappointed in our legal system and the major lack of hearing children's voices. Yes, it's true that the 4th District Court is more of a divorce court and doesn't typically hear the children's side as much as the Juvenile Court--but we fought and fought in Juvenile, and look what happened. Judge Bartholomew sent them back, without letting them speak or hearing the abuse petition that I've tried to have heard in court since June 2014! The 4th District Court needs to do something before these girls--my sisters--are irreparably harmed.

All of this may be heavy for you to read and soak in. I commend those of you who cared enough to make it to the end. I wish that we had better news to offer. We are not giving up hope and many supporters are sacrificing their lives along with us to search for what can be done. I'm always praying for a better outcome. I know beyond a doubt that Sydney and Dani's case will one day be a great example of how the system fails children. We must continue to pray and work towards a better tomorrow for them!

 

April 27, 2016

Utter, Eerie Silence

I'm appalled and heartbroken. A lot has happened since my last post. Please read on. (This post is taken from my Facebook page.)

COURT ORDER APRIL 13TH:

I'd like to back up for just a second. There was a TRO signed by the 4th District Court at the end of March, a short time after the Juvenile Court ordered them to Kansas. In this TRO, my father had asked for no contact for 90 days between my mom, me and any other family here in Utah. It had also asked for them to be placed in a reunification program or an "educational process" that is extremely controversial; the Pruter program that we've talked about before. This is what the following hearing was about:

In court on Wednesday the 13th, the 4th District Court dismissed the TRO that was previously signed, and ordered the girls to immediately be placed in the care of a different home and immediately be taken out of the Dorcy Pruter program. The TRO was dismissed on the grounds that the court was not given proper information by my father when it was filed (information such as the fact that he has a recent DCFS finding of abuse). Additionally, my father did not follow the plan that was meant to be followed through Utah and Kansas DCFS with the determination in the ICJ case in Juvenile Court and this was also noted.

As I stated before, the court ordered that Sydney and Dani be immediately removed from our father's unsupervised home and placed with a neutral home that has been background checked. The court also ordered that the girls should be removed from this controversial program right away and meet with an agreed upon, legitimate therapist in order to determine if they even need alienation therapy (which should have happened in the beginning). It was ordered that my mom and I should have supervised supervision/phone calls. I was grateful for this order because it showed that the court was looking out for the best interests of the children.

WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE:

Complete and total silence on our end. We haven't heard one word from my sisters, and my dad is fighting extremely hard to keep it that way. I'm not trying to talk badly about him; the facts speak for themselves:

There was a supervised phone call organized last week for my mom to talk to Syd and Dani, in which my dad's attorney filed a motion to intervene and wouldn't allow it.

My dad is in contempt of court. He has kept them in the Pruter program, refuses to allow the GAL access to my sisters, won't let us talked to them supervised, and has filed a motion to remove the GAL.

Additionally, Sydney and Dani had left certain belongings at Slate Canyon which they specifically informed the workers they wanted to give to my mom. Under no circumstances did they want these items to go to my dad (they included sensitive journal entries). My dad's attorney picked them up and they are in his possession.

Why are children treated as possessions, and not people?? Sydney and Dani are being silenced by their abuser right now. They are 15 and nearly 17. Sometimes I cannot believe how much their voices have been stripped.

 

April 13, 2016

Life Since They Were Found

I posted the following in my personal blog in a post titled "Life in General", and decided it would be applicable/good for Sydney and Dani's supporters to read. I invite you to follow my other blog if you so desire. Most of what I write here is factual, including hard evidence and testimony of our father's abuse that has never been heard in court. My other blog has been (and will continue to be) a place where I collect things that I appreciate and value: family, faith, fitness, lifestyle and inspiration. Sometimes I feel prompted or inclined to write about my family's plight, and yesterday was one of those times:

To tell you the truth, I stopped writing here because of some very harsh judgments and internet bullying. It was getting so horrible that anytime I posted something, I was ridiculed and jeered at by my dad and his supporters. I was also simultaneously being physically stalked and cyber-stalked by some of his supporters to the point where I hated going outside because I knew someone was parked watching me and keeping tabs on our cars. It was a difficult time, to say the least... but I'm back and here to stay.

It's a lot of work to keep up on my sister's blog, Facebook page, and also run my own social media platforms while working multiple jobs, but I need to start focusing on my future. My future involves advocating for children's voices in the legal system, continuing to pursue a career in modeling and fitness, focusing on my husband and family, building my art business, and so much more. And much of my future starts here, with this blog. Today I'm writing about something you all know about. Except this time, I'm writing completely from my emotional aspect instead of mostly factual. I'm writing from a point of view that is raw, exposed, and real.

I don't know where to begin. Life has been insane, intense and incredible all at once. In 2015, the Dr. Phil show aired, I started my teaching and art business, married the love of my life, and took a few months off to breathe. It seemed that there was nothing more I could do legally except prepare and wait. I began to think that Sydney and Dani wouldn't be coming back until they were eighteen. There were still a few people set on stalking and accusing me (the Orem Police Dept. storming my wedding, for example), but for the most part life began to feel more normal than I'd ever expected it could. 

The third day of 2016 began very early and alarming, as my husband and I awoke to a call at 3 A.M. informing us that my sisters and mom had been found. A family member of someone they were staying with had made a call to the police. They ended up being right here in a neighboring city, Pleasant Grove. We sat outside the Orem Police Dept. where they were all being held, after having been mocked by the detective on the case in a very unprofessional and horrible way. He told me there was "no way" he would allow me to see them because "I could have visited them whenever I wanted to". He smirked at me when I told him DCFS needed to be involved, and the girls should not be interrogated (and whatever else he was doing) without an attorney or case worker present. So there we were, sitting in our car for hours outside the building where my mom and sisters were being detained. I called DCFS at about 5 A.M. to make sure they were aware of the situation. The sun rose while we waited, while my heart ached so bad wondering if they were O.K. and how they were being treated. It was time to keep fighting for my sisters.

My husband is Diabetic and we needed to go somewhere to grab food. As we ate, we received a call from the Spanish Fork Prison. It was my mom. It had been so long since I had heard her voice, I didn't recognize it at first. Then the tears came flooding down my face as I realized it was her. I cried in happiness and relief because she was back and alive. I also cried because of the injustices she was suffering. She was in prison, prison because she chose to protect her daughters (I now know that she chose to meet up with them after a month when they contacted her in August 2014).  Through the salty tears and stinging eyes, I heard her tell me that she loved me and that we could visit her. I turned to my husband and said in disbelief, "I get to see my mom. Today." I will never forget that moment.

So much happened in those first 24 hours. I still look back on it and can't believe it's not a crazy dream. Since then, we were able to bail my mom out and I was able to visit my sisters for the first time. They were at Slate Canyon, a juvenile prison, for nearly 90 days. It took nearly a month to set up our visitation, but we were able to see them multiple times during their stay and I'm grateful for that. There is much that happened between January and March, but it is painful to discuss. My sisters and I rode on a roller coaster of hope followed by crushing blows. Every time it seemed things were finally going right, the judge would make an order to bypass their protection. For example, on March 17th DCFS found abuse (for the second time) against our father. On March 18th, after promising my sisters repeatedly to let them speak to him in court, the judge simply wrote an order sending them back to Kansas. Our dad placed them in a program that harms children until they think and act a desired way (do some research on the Dorcy Pruter program if you're interested.) Sydney and Dani have been missing for over two weeks and in the hands of my dad and these people, and my mom and I have been utterly crushed by it.

There are many forms of trials. We all go through life dealing with and learning from consequences for our own decisions, and some of us suffer deeply due to other's decisions. My sisters and I have had to live through immense amounts of trials and pain due to someone else's decision. The thing that gets us through the most is our faith in Jesus Christ and the love and faith that our mother has instilled in us since we were very young. Sydney, Dani and I have deep testimonies rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They are extremely spiritually, emotionally and mentally mature for their ages, and I look up to them so much.

I am so grateful for each one of you. My last Instagram post really pushed me to start blogging again, because I didn't realize how much all of you looked forward to seeing my "deeper" side of life and the things I am passionate about. Thank you for encouraging me! As I continue forward, I am excited to partner and collaborate with some wonderful people and reveal what the future holds.

xoxo
Brittany

April 4, 2016

My Dad Who Terrifies Us

My sisters were released from Slate Canyon more than two weeks ago and presumably (we don't know for certain) sent back to our dad, Brian Wolferts. This was ordered by the same judge who failed to get us a hearing to discuss our abuse petition in 2014, which caused my sisters to run in the first place. 

This is the man that the judge went out of his way to send my sisters to without giving them or me a chance to testify about his abuse. This post contains mature material and I only advise adults 18 and older to continue. The following list contains things my dad has admitted to or been found by authorities to have done up to 2011. I wrote about my sisters and I in third person, in continuation with the direct quotes from therapists. I apologize for the length of this list. It's so long, yet there is so much more that could have been added. (Wouldn't it be nice if none of these applied instead of ALL of them applying to my dad.) 

Brian Wolferts:

• Admitted in a polygraph to a "history of sexual contact with a child".
• Admitted in a polygraph to exposing himself to two young girls when he was 23 (and already married).
• Admitted to masturbating "years later" to thoughts of the older girl (age 11 or 12) as the younger girl (age 6 or 7).
• Was also seen by psychosexual therapist Dr. Ririe who stated "the nature of the potential risk to [Brian's] children being very well emphasized to all of the parties involved, the risk would be considered much lower for his daughters in this situation. Part of this will be as the result of the increased level of vigilance he and others will engage in as well as the fact that his daughters have been well educated and informed on how to potentially report and address any areas of discomfort and in fact have shown a willingness to do so..."
• Has never wanted his daughters to speak to any judge, filing multiple times to deny them testifying about his abuse.
• Was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder.
• Was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
• Was diagnosed with Personality Disorder NOS (dependent features).
• Took Zyprexa (a drug for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia) in 2003 as a "mood stabilizer" to try to deal with his sexual addiction.
• Had 3 years of personal therapy with Dr. Randy Hyde, who then recommended he start therapy with a psychosexual therapist Dr. Roby
• voluntarily did 18 months of sexual offender therapy with Dr. Roby because he knew he needed professional help (but did not complete it).
• He lied to the court that he had completed sexual reorientation therapy which Dr. Roby refuted.
• Said to DCFS in 2004 that he had a chemical imbalance and tried 8 different prescriptions to help his condition, saying he was on Paxil for a year at one point, but it seemed to stop working.
• Said in Nov 2002  he stopped taking medications altogether.
• Held 3 month old Sydney by the ankle then threw her across the room, causing Michelle to have to run across the room to catch her before she hit the ground.
• He told DCFS when asked about this incident that "he may have been playing with her or slightly throwing her in the air and catching her" (I include this because what person admits to throwing a 3 month old baby in the air?! This could actually kill a baby that young!)
• Told DCFS that he has difficulties with himself, emotional disturbances, and felt "undeserving of love".
• Admitted to DCFS that he punched and pushed Michelle.
• Admitted to DCFS that he threw Michelle when she was 7 months pregnant. He said he shoved her, causing her to fall.
• Told DCFS the physical violence that happened happened before Brittany was born. Which means he openly admitted to domestic violence.
• Completed an anger management course, which means he had trouble managing his anger.
• Was found by DCFS in 2005 to have abused Brittany by being violent toward Michelle in front of Brittany.
• His only defense against the Domestic Abuse allegations by Michelle to DCFS were that he didn't think Brittany actually saw him push Michelle down the stairs.
• Admitted to having several "agreed upon meetings" where a girl would show him her privates in the bushes outside his apartment when he was 5, and eventually he pulled down his pants and showed the girl his erection.
• Admitted to using a foam rubber simulated vagina at a friend's house at age 13.
• Admitted his "typical" sexual fantasy is "meeting a relative stranger (woman) and disrobing in front of her and having her become aroused at the sight of my body and penis and engaging in intercourse".
• Admitted to C.Y. Roby in 2003 to having had 5 actual affairs.
• Admitted to DCFS in 2004 to "having affairs with "7 or 8" other women" which went on for approximately 5 years.
• Admitted having 30-40 online affairs by 2003 (after he had been married to Michelle for 11 years already).
• Stated to Dr. Roby that he does have a sexual problem.
• Was fired from Enrich in 2000 for a sexual harassment allegation.
• Was unemployed for much of those years thereafter, while Michelle supported him fully by building her piano lessons business.
• Throughout their marriage he did not consistently hold a job. 
• Called himself a "sex addict".
• Is considered a "sexual deviant" by Dr. C.Y. Roby.
• Has trouble differentiating between ages with regard to his arousal patterns.
• Tended to "underreport his deviant arousal throughout the evaluation [penile plethysmograph], indicating a tendency to minimize his pathology."
• Did not complete the recommended sexual reorientation therapy C.Y. Roby said he needed to complete in order for his daughters to be safe with him outside unsupervised visitation.
• "Appears to have a very strong system for excusing himself for these behaviors that he has done."
• Encouraged his daughters to cut off all ties with their mother.
• Shows a pattern of difficulty with interpersonal relationships stemming at least in part from feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.
• Was found by Dr. Roby likely to have trouble developing and maintaining long-term relationships.
• Was found to "appear to be somewhat hypersexualized."
• Showed a "tendency to take somewhat of a victim stance where he appears to say 'woe is me, I'm so bad'.
• Reported to Dr. Roby that he wasn't ever suicidal but that he has "felt at times that my family would be better off without me."
• Forced Sydney with celiac disease to eat gluten over the course of years.
• Had to be given multiple doctor notes to impress upon him the urgency of keeping Sydney gluten-free.
• Has cameras installed to monitor the perimeter of his home at all times in Utah and Kansas (Angie verified this on Dr. Phil).
• Has been unemployed much of his adult life, relying on his spouses to support him, but being highly critical of their efforts at the same time.
• Has engaged in protracted litigation tactics for years and years.
• Told DCFS that Michelle "almost broke his nose".
• Told Facebook and Dr. Phil that Michelle "broke his nose".
• In addition to the above list, on March 17th, 2016, DCFS found my dad to have been abusive to my sisters in his home!

THIS LIST PROVES WHY MY SISTERS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO HIM.

In addition to the above list of things he did before, my dad has fought multiple times to keep my sisters and me from speaking in court about his abuse. Can there be any doubt why a man like the one described above by therapists and investigators might wish his victims (including my sisters and I) to be unable to reveal his abuse??

This is who my sisters are afraid of. This is who I'm afraid of. I admit this hesitantly because I'm certain he probably gains satisfaction at my admission. This abuser and sexual deviant is who now has my sisters behind closed doors, secluded, isolated, alone--able to retaliate against them in any way he wants. And judging from the list above, and my memories of the abuse he often inflicted on all of us in his house, I am severely worried for my sisters. They are in mortal danger. My sisters have additional harrowing details of his abuse which they have so far been prevented by Juvenile Court Judge Bartholomew from presenting in court. My dad knows what he's done, and what they are capable of telling. Therefore, he seeks to silence them. As you can see, he has every reason to want to silence my sisters.

It is hard to come to terms with the fact that my dad is unworthy of my esteem, as I value family as the most important thing in this life. But I also know that if someone abuses you--regardless of their position in your life--they fail to earn your respect, honor, and trust. My dad is my abuser. He and his supporters continue to abuse me verbally and emotionally all over social media, and they don't care about the welfare of my sisters.

I beg you to help me with my exorbitant legal fees as I attempt to get the truth of his abuse to the proper authorities to protect my vulnerable sisters. The judge has tried to prevent it so far and has helped get my sisters into the custody of this deviant abuser. Please help me! Thank you so much for your continual support!