After the cocaine scandal

“It breaks my heart”: Baby James is gone

Kathi and Matthias with their baby James before he was taken away from them again.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

The thirteen-week-old boy from Lower Austria was taken away on Monday following the “coke scandal,” even though a judge had granted custody of the child to the family. The district attorney is now taking action. 

James is gone, and no one knows where he was taken. There were no written documents explaining the decision—just a large police presence and the statement “imminent danger.” The “Krone” inquired with the district administration and the responsible state councilor, Eva Prischl (SPÖ). There were no answers. “To protect the child,” the state councilor cannot comment on the matter—neither on the action itself nor on the reasons for the removal.

What happened beforehand? 
Kathi (23) from Lower Austria had her little James admitted to the hospital on a day when the temperature was 39 degrees. The little boy wouldn’t eat or drink; he was lethargic. The hospital staff acted professionally. The child was thoroughly tested—for everything imaginable. And: James’s first urine test came back positive for cocaine.

All subsequent tests came back negative. “Krone” readers know the rest of the story. Mom Kathi was tested—first positive, then negative again. She had to go with her baby to a mother-and-child home in Upper Austria. Ultimately, a judge ruled against the youth welfare services after a hair test on the mother came back negative for all substances. James was allowed to return to her, his dad, and his grandparents.

Youth Welfare Services employs a lot of people with creative ways of doing things.

Manfred Arbacher-Stöger, Anwalt der Familie

Youth Welfare officials at the door
Until, as reported, Monday. Shortly before noon, child welfare officials, including police officers, were at the door of the family’s home. James has been gone ever since. “We weren’t shown any official notice; we don’t know where he is. No one is talking to us,” says the baby’s grandmother. The reasoning is already known (since it’s also an issue in court): The negative drug hair test can’t be accurate because the mother dyes her hair. And: The cocaine must have been administered directly to the baby!

“Regular drug tests”
Attorney Manfred Arbacher-Stöger: “Incidentally, regular drug tests for Kathi have been ordered by the court and are being conducted.” On Tuesday, the prosecuting attorney in charge dismissed the charges against the child’s mother, which included suspicion of bodily injury and failure to render aid. What remains is a baby who was taken away from his mother. And is being hidden. All of this, according to official statements, “for the protection of the child.”