FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Matthew Hernandez said this year has felt lonely.
For nearly a year, his family has functioned in fragments. The husband and father of two would come home to an empty house. On Wednesday, he learned his other half could finally return.
"I just want to hold her and hug her, sit down and watch a movie and just be a husband and wife again," Matt said.
Matt and his wife, Wilairat "Takki" Hernandez, have been unable to speak or spend time together outside of court. The two are facing accusations of child abuse and have found themselves in the midst of a legal battle after their newborn exhibited unusual swelling on her leg, leading them to seek medical assistance. However, what started as a quest for answers quickly turned into a nightmare when doctors discovered multiple bone fractures on the infant.
That visit to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta set off an uphill legal saga for custody. Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, DFCS, removed the infant and decided to remove her older sister as well. Since then, the parents have had to navigate the state's case and criminal charges.
“We did nothing to hide anything,” Matt said in a previous interview with 11Alive Investigates.
The story continues after the gallery below.
A bond agreement severed Takki from her husband. However, a glimmer of hope emerged as a Forsyth County judge ruled in favor of allowing Takki to return home. This decision marked the first time the couple could comfort each other since her arrest.
Matt greeted his wife with flowers at a friend's home where she had been staying. He arrived before she got off work to begin packing her things for the move back home.
Takki, however, said the news was a "mixed blessing," explaining that she was happy to go home but, due to other bond agreements, she still can't see her sister and brother-in-law. It is also up to DFCS as to whether they can now have their visitations together with their girls.
Matt expressed the profound impact of the separation seen in their 4-year-old daughter.
"She's the one we can't even tell what's going on, but she constantly asks for her mom and dad," he said.
While there have been no allegations of abuse against the 4-year-old, DFCS's decision to remove her from the household underscores the complexities and challenges faced by families entangled in such cases. In response to the Hernandez case and others like it, a national organization, You Are the Power, has initiated a letter campaign urging Gov. Brian Kemp to review this and other similar cases, shedding light on the systemic issues at play.
The Hernandez family's story is just one of many being investigated as part of 11Alive's ongoing series, "Help That Harms." The series aims to uncover the hurdles faced by parents seeking to prove their innocence and reunite with their children amidst allegations of abuse.
Read more about the Hernandez's story here.
11Alive Investigator Rebecca Lindstrom has been looking into the Help That Harms. Follow her investigation on demand via our streaming app 11Alive+ Available on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.