Murfreesboro, TN – Jeff and Jerika Lloyd thought they were doing the right thing when they took their one-year-old daughter Janae to get her leg casted after noticing she wasn’t putting weight on it. The pediatrician had found a minor fracture and didn’t suspect abuse, but a second doctor’s concern over the lack of a clear explanation triggered a chain of events that would upend the Lloyds’ lives.
In September 2024, the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) took Janae into custody. The Murfreesboro parents insisted their daughter was simply an early walker—physically advanced for her age—and that her injury was misunderstood. A Rutherford County judge dismissed the case in January 2025, but the nightmare didn’t end there.
Three months later, DCS sent another letter stating that Jerika had been substantiated for abuse and neglect. The timing was baffling—the letter referenced a case closure from December 2024, just weeks before the judge’s dismissal. The Lloyds appealed, but heard nothing for months…