Garnett Spears was a sweet little boy who deserved to be safe. 💔

Instead, he became a victim of medical child abuse (Munchausen by Proxy) at the hands of his mother, Lacey Spears.

Lacey had prior child protection concerns and investigations in Alabama and Florida. When she moved states, those cases were closed or not properly followed up. This gave her a “fresh start” in New York, where authorities did not have the full history. Tragically, Garnett died in 2014 at just 5 years old.

This interstate loophole is deadly. When families move, previous CPS reports, open investigations, and substantiated concerns often disappear. Abusers can evade detection simply by crossing state lines.

We demand Garnett’s Law:

Create a secure National CPS Safety Database accessible only to authorized child protective services workers across all states.
When a family moves, prior reports, open investigations, and substantiated concerns must be visible to the new state.
Active investigations and serious cases must not be automatically closed just because a family relocates — the new state must receive the information and follow up.
Include strong privacy protections, strict penalties for unauthorized access or misuse, and a clear process for families to challenge and expunge false or unsubstantiated reports.
Limit entries to substantiated findings or active serious investigations only — vague or unfounded allegations should not follow families.
We hear the very real concerns about the system being weaponized against innocent families. That is why strong safeguards, due process, transparency, and accountability for CPS workers must be built into this from the beginning. False reports should never haunt innocent families long-term.

This is not about making it easier to remove children or giving CPS more power. It’s about ensuring a child’s serious safety history actually follows them when they move — so the next child doesn’t fall through the cracks the way Garnett did.

Prevention is better than the heartbreaking “cure” after a child is harmed.

What happens next? Once we reach a strong number of signatures, I will deliver the petition along with a formal letter first to the relevant agencies and lawmakers in Alabama, Florida, and New York (the states involved in Garnett’s case), and then to the U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee and Senate HELP Committee for federal action.

We also support related reforms: better training and lower caseloads for social workers, stronger accountability for false reports, higher standards of evidence, and family support services.

If you believe no child should lose their life because critical safety information disappeared when their family moved, please sign and share.

Justice for Garnett. Protect the next child — while protecting innocent families. 💔