JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Diana and Corey Sullivan started dating in 8th grade. Their desire to start a family came with years of struggling with infertility.
“We've been married 18 years, and always knew we wanted a big family. We started immediately trying at 21 and we went five years on our own and realized we needed additional help. We started with IUI and every fertility treatment in between,” Diana Sullivan explained. “We went through IVF, and we got pregnant with Arabella. It was costly. I think that round cost us approximately $30,000.”
After having their first child four years ago, the Camden couple went through the IVF process all over again, and with the last two embryos got pregnant with Christian and Amelia. They say they were ecstatic.
“We found out at around 29 weeks that she was diagnosed with severe intrauterine growth restriction, which essentially means that her placenta was not getting the same amount of nutrients, oxygen or blood flow as her brother,” Diana Sullivan said.” So, she had very restricted movement and restricted growth.”
The twins were born prematurely in July 2023 when Diana was 34 weeks pregnant. Her son weighed five pounds. Her daughter was just over three pounds.
Amelia spent 42 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Seven weeks after she was discharged, their whole world changed.
“It started at the house. I was feeding Amelia like I always did. It was about 3:30 in the morning,” Corey Sullivan recalled.
When he changed her diaper, he noticed her leg was swollen.
“It was more swollen than her other leg, no bruising, no red mark or anything, but it just was swollen,” Corey Sullivan said. “So, I woke mom up and said, ‘Look, you know, I don't like that her leg is swollen. I think we should take her to the hospital.’”
The Sullivans took their three-month-old daughter to the closest hospital in Camden County, Georgia where they say they were shocked to learn she had a broken femur.
Amelia was rushed to Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville for more extensive testing that revealed unexplained rib fractures and broken bones in various stages of healing.
“If there is reasonable concern the child’s condition could be secondary to abuse or neglect, our employees are obligated to report that immediately to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), which then investigates. At that point, the matter is turned over to DCF. DCF engages the Child Protection Team (CPT) as medical specialists to evaluate the child. DCF conducts the investigation and makes a determination about the concern for child abuse,” Vikki A. Mioduszewski, a spokeswoman for Wolfson Children’s Hospital wrote in a statement to First Coast News.
“I think the first report I read said around eight in various stages of healing,” Diana Sullivan said. “The last report I read said 22 broken bones, in an eight-pound baby.”
Parents lose custody
The Sullivans say they were questioned by Dr. Barbara Knox. She’s a board-certified specialist in child abuse pediatrics at UF Health and listed online as an expert with the First Coast Child Protection Team. She told them their daughter had a liver laceration.
“She looked at me and said in my thirty years of experience the only way for a child to obtain this injury is for her to be punched repeatedly in the abdomen or she was dropkicked across the room,” Diana Sullivan said. “And I looked at her and said what do you mean? She’s eight pounds. Wouldn’t we see any type of physical marks on her body? Wouldn’t she act like she is in pain? I mean she’s not showing any signs of pain or discomfort. Wouldn’t there be any type of discoloration or bruising if she’s bleeding internally? And she just kept saying no.”
After being questioned by Dr. Knox, the Sullivans had all three of their children removed from their custody.
“They came and literally stripped poor Amelia out of my wife's arms while she was breastfeeding her and took our children from us and had us physically removed from the hospital by security,” Corey Sullivan said.
“The fact that you can take your children to the hospital and/or the doctor as a concerned parent and it unravels so quickly, and they not look into what's wrong with your children and immediately just speculate non-accidental traumas,” Diana Sullivan said. “It’s so disheartening, and it's something that I never knew was an issue.”
Father charged with felonies
While Diana Sullivan is not facing any charges, Corey Sullivan is facing felony charges. He was arrested in December, two months after they left the hospital. He was charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to a child, allegations the Sullivans adamantly deny. Now, five months after his arrest he has not been indicted. We requested documents in the case, but they are confidential according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
“I've missed my babies first Christmas. I've missed my baby's first Easter, and in a few months, I'll miss their first birthday,” Corey Sullivan said.
The GBI says it completed its investigation, and the case is now in the hands of the District Attorney's Office in Brunswick. Our requests for an interview were declined.
The Sullivans believe their daughter's broken bones can be explained by genetic problems that started in utero. They had geneticist Dr. Anthony Perszyk review all of Amelia's records. According to his report, Amelia has intrauterine growth retardation, anemia and low platelets at birth. His report says, “She was severely malnourished in the womb and this stunted her growth and limited bone mineral deposition.”
Dr. Perszyk also noted demineralization of the bone. He wrote, “The ongoing process of demineralization would cause loss of strength in the ribs and long bones. The softness of the bones would allow for bone fractures to occur more easily without excessive force.”
“His exact explanation was even normal handling could have caused a rib fracture,” Corey Sullivan said.
Geneticist Dr. Paldeep Atwal says Diana Sullivan has been diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
“We know that Ehlers-Danlos can increase your fracture risk and reduce bone mineral density,” Dr. Atwal said. “It’s called a dominant condition, meaning there's a one in two or 50% chance of any children having the same condition.”
The Sullivans say the child abuse pediatrician involved has 'questionable history'
After their children were removed from their custody, the Sullivans learned about published news reports about Dr. Knox.
“I found out that the child abuse pediatrician that led this investigation has a very questionable history of diagnosing these children,” Diana Sullivan said.
“When we found out that she had got hired in Jacksonville, it made us sick,” Brenna Siebold said.
Siebold says she and her husband were investigated for child abuse in 2018 after they took their baby to a Wisconsin hospital for a high fever and were questioned by Dr. Knox about bruises on their child, bruises Siebold said she and her husband didn’t notice.
“It's been incredibly traumatic,” Siebold said.
They were never charged and said after being interviewed by police they were allowed to go home with their son but still had to go through a Child Protective Services investigation.
“It took three months to get finally the all clear,” Siebold said. The field of child abuse pediatrics needs to be relooked at and it needs to be reformatted. We've given way, way too much power to these people.”
Dee Hall, cofounder of Wisconsin Watch, a nonpartisan investigative nonprofit news outlet has done extensive reporting on Knox.
"There’s no doubt some of the cases she identified as abuse were abuse,” Hall said. “But it was in these cases where you could have multiple mechanisms, multiple causes for some type of illness or condition where we just saw that being contradicted by prosecutors who would bring charges and then drop them. We saw it contradicted by police officers after doing interviews.”
Wisconsin Watch shared the stories of seven Wisconsin families including the Siebolds, who faced child abuse investigations involving Dr. Knox over the span seven years, allegations it reported were later rejected by other doctors, police, and child welfare officials.
“Things that could be attributed to numerous other causes were in the cases that we examined attributed to child abuse exclusively,” Hall said.
Dr. Knox's history in Wisconsin
In 2019 Knox was placed on paid administrative leave by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health according to a letter obtained by Wisconsin Watch.
The letter said, “This is to memorialize that effective June 28, 2019, the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) placed you on administrative leave with pay from your Professor (CHS) position in the Department of Pediatrics. You are on leave because of concerns that arose about the timely completion of your work and your workplace behavior, including unprofessional acts that may constitute retaliation against and/or intimidation of internal and external colleagues. SMPH has commenced an investigation of these matters.”
A subsequent letter obtained by Wisconsin Watch said, "The reason she was placed on leave did not relate to dishonesty, clinical skills, medical diagnostic abilities, or incorrect medical diagnoses."
In a statement to First Coast News, UW Health says Dr. Knox "was a physician responsible for evaluating and treating patients for child abuse and resigned before an investigation was completed."
When asked about the nature of complaints against her, a UW Health spokeswoman wrote, “Those details are included in the letter you shared and previous news coverage.”
From Wisconsin, Dr. Knox was hired in Alaska to lead a statewide child abuse clinic where she worked for two and a half years before getting hired by the University of Florida in 2022.
“In Alaska, similar allegations emerged that she was bullying and belittling staff trying to, you know, coerce them into labeling children as abused in cases where the other staff members did not feel that was the case,” Hall said.
On her application for a Florida medical license “no” was checked when asked if she had ever had any staff privileges suspended or been asked to take a temporary leave of absence.
We reached out to Dr. Knox multiple times but did not get a response. UF Health Jacksonville declined our interview requests but stands behind her and says she has helped make the community a safer place for children and families.
Dan Leveton, Manager of Internal and External Communications at UF Health Jacksonville, said they can’t comment on specific patient matters due to HIPPA and Florida privacy laws, but no decisions are made by any one person, nor made lightly.
“In general, allegations of child abuse do not proceed to court unless law enforcement and prosecutors, in consultation with child protection officials, determine the evidence is strong and compelling. When medical evidence is used, review occurs at multiple levels,” Leveton, said in a statement to First Coast News. “Dr. Knox’s expertise in her field is well-established, as are her positive contributions on behalf of children. When she was hired by the University of Florida she met all conditions of employment, and she continues to do so."
As to our specific question about her application with the state, Leveton said Dr. Knox has a Florida medical license in good standing and based on the advice of independent legal counsel during the application process, answered question 9D appropriately.
“Please note, that question relates to staff privileges at a health care facility, as opposed to temporary administrative leave at the University of Wisconsin in her role as a professor. Even with that leave, Dr. Knox was allowed to continue her clinical work on crucial cases, some involving the FBI,” Leveton said.
Dr. Knox has no discipline or complaints listed in Florida's public database even though the Sullivans showed us complaints they filed in March.
Jae Williams, Press Secretary for the Florida Department of Health, told First Coast News, “The Florida Department of Health can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any complaints or ongoing investigations until ten days after probable cause is found.”
The Sullivans are holding on to hope that they will get their children back.
“I try to keep myself going thinking that for sure the truth is going to come to light and what's right is going to happen. And we pray on it,” Corey Sullivan said.
While they go through the court process in Camden County, Georgia fighting to regain custody of all three of their children, they hope genetic testing of their daughter will show that Amelia has metabolic bone disease.
“We wanted nothing but to have children,” Diana Sullivan said. “I'm just heartbroken that they didn't even find out who we are. Before coming to this judgment. I can't believe that there's this much power in the state's hands.”
Statements from the agencies involved
UF Health Jacksonville
"In light of strict federal HIPAA and Florida privacy laws that preclude us from discussing specific patient matters, we are not able to comment specifically on any of these allegations.
In general, allegations of child abuse do not proceed to court unless law enforcement and prosecutors, in consultation with child protection officials, determine the evidence is strong and compelling. When medical evidence is used, review occurs at multiple levels.
Dr. Knox’s expertise in her field is well-established, as are her positive contributions on behalf of children. When she was hired by the University of Florida she met all conditions of employment, and she continues to do so. Dr. Knox is a key part of the faculty, and since her arrival her background and understanding in the field have enhanced our program and have made the community a safer place for children and their families.
As to your specific question about her application with the state, Dr. Knox has a Florida medical license in good standing and based on the advice of independent legal counsel during the application process, answered question 9D appropriately. Please note, that question relates to staff privileges at a health care facility, as opposed to temporary administrative leave at the University of Wisconsin in her role as a professor. Even with that leave, Dr. Knox was allowed to continue her clinical work on crucial cases, some involving the FBI.
As a pediatric specialist at the UF Health Jacksonville campus, Dr. Knox works with many experts from various disciplines and specialties, collaborating with the Florida Department of Children and Families to identify and treat patients in very difficult circumstances, and they are just one part of the process of investigating allegations of child abuse. Other professionals and institutions, including medical facilities, prosecutors’ offices and the court system, also play a key role. These cases are complex, and each one is rigorously scrutinized; no decisions are made by any one person, nor made lightly.
Any further information about specific cases is best discovered and confirmed through ongoing judicial processes in any involved families’ jurisdictions."
- Dan Leveton, Manager, Internal and External Communications, UF Health Jacksonville
Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services
“DHS/DFCS is bound by both state and federal law to protect the privacy of the people we serve. As such, we are unable to comment on the specifics of any reported abuse or neglect cases. We take seriously every report that might be made to the agency and work with law enforcement when appropriate to ensure the safety of Georgia’s children.”
-Ellen Brown, Director of Communications, Georgia Department of Human Services
Wolfson Children's Hospital
“We want to share the process we follow to ensure the safety and well-being of children while also remaining committed to partnering with families to provide the best care possible.
Per Florida Statute 39.201, all persons have the legal obligation to immediately report any knowledge of or reasonable cause to suspect child abuse. We require our employees to comply with the state’s mandated reporting requirements which are designed to protect children, including our pediatric patients.
When a child is in our care, it is our responsibility, along with the patient’s physicians, to complete a thorough assessment, including reviewing their medical history, current health status and other relevant information. If there is reasonable concern the child’s condition could be secondary to abuse or neglect, our employees are obligated to report that immediately to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), which then investigates.
At that point, the matter is turned over to DCF. DCF engages the Child Protection Team (CPT) as medical specialists to evaluate the child. DCF conducts the investigation and makes a determination about the concern for child abuse.
Dr. Barbara Knox is a member of the UF CPT to which DCF refers cases. She is not employed by Wolfson Children’s Hospital.”
-Vikki A. Mioduszewski, APR | Manager, Marketing & Communications | Wolfson Children’s Hospital
The Florida Department of Children & Families
“The Department conducts investigations concerning all allegations of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Information regarding investigations is confidential per section 39.202, Florida Statutes. Information pertaining to child protective investigations in another state, should be referred to that state.”
– Miguel Nevarez, Press Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families
THE GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation
"The GBI completed an investigation and provided the full investigative casefile to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The investigation is currently pending court proceedings. All questions about the status of this pending judicial matter should be directed to the DA’s Office."
-Nelly Miles, Director – Office of Public & Governmental Affairs, GBI