"EMILY" - 11 yo - Phoenix AZ

Police searching for sick girl who left hospital with mother

by Andrew Michalscheck
Posted on November 29, 2012 at 7:47 PM
Updated today at 9:19 PM

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Police are searching for a young girl whose life could be in danger after leaving a Valley hospital.

Police responded to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital on Wednesday night after receiving a call of a “check welfare.”

Officers learned that an 11-year-old Hispanic girl named Emily had been brought to the hospital by her parents to receive treatment for leukemia.

During Emily’s treatment, a chest catheter was placed into her heart. Emily’s arm also had to be amputated due to an infection.

For reasons that are not yet known, the mother reportedly decided to remove the IV from the catheter. Police said the mother then had Emily change clothes before walking her out of the hospital.

Police said they were told by medical personnel that if the catheter is not medically removed from Emily’s heart it could become infected and kill her.

According to authorities, Emily’s mother is 35-years-old, Hispanic, and goes by the name Norma. Her father is 46-years-old, Hispanic, and goes by the name Luis.

It is believed that Emily may have left the hospital in a black Ford van.

Anyone with any information about Emily’s whereabouts is being asked to call Phoenix Police.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/police-searching-for-sick-girl-who-left-hospital-with-mother-181473741.html

Charges mulled in missing sick girl case
Hospital surveillance photo released by Phoenix police on Dec. 3, 2012 shows woman with her 11-year-old daughter, a leukemia patient who had her arm amputated and a heart catheter inserted due to an infection

December 5, 2012, 2:45 AM


Hospital surveillance photo released by Phoenix police on Dec. 3, 2012 shows woman
with her 11-year-old daughter, a leukemia patient who had her arm amputated and a
heart catheter inserted due to an infection / AP

NEW YORK - Emily has leukemia. She just underwent a month of chemotherapy and had her right arm amputated after suffering complications. Doctors say she is at risk of dying from an infection.

But the sick 11-year-old isn't in a hospital.

Her mother last week inexplicably unhooked a tube that had been carrying vital medication through the girl's heart, got her out of bed and changed her clothes. Then she did something police say is even more baffling -- she walked the child out of the hospital, the tiny tube still protruding from her chest.

Doctors say the device, if left unattended, could allow bacteria to quickly enter her body, leading to a potentially deadly infection.

Phoenix police are now on a desperate search for the mother and daughter, last seen Wednesday night on surveillance video leaving Phoenix Children's Hospital, the mother pushing an IV stand, the small child with a bandaged arm amputated above the elbow walking beside her.

Search continues for girl with leukemia taken by mother from hospital
Missing Ariz. girl with leukemia could die if not found

Authorities have no explanation for why the child's mother -- 35-year-old Norma Bracamontes -- removed the girl from the hospital before her treatment was complete, but they say it's imperative she return her immediately.

They're even considering criminal charges.

"Certainly, from our standpoint, we are looking at it thinking, is this negligence in failing to provide Emily the proper medical care that she requires?" Phoenix police Sgt. Steve Martos said Tuesday. "They should know by now what is required, what Emily needs, so it baffles us that anyone, any parent with a child like this, with leukemia and an amputated arm, and now you put them in this situation where it's potentially fatal, we just don't understand why they would not seek medical treatment."

Authorities speculate the mother might have been concerned with paying the child's hospital bill, but her motivation remains a mystery.

The family lives a "nomadic" life without a permanent residence, but they have relatives in Arizona, California and Mexico, none of whom have been able to provide police with information about their whereabouts, Martos said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped the girl's father, Luis Bracamontes, 46, as he crossed into Arizona from Mexico over the weekend, but the man denied any involvement in removing his daughter from the hospital and said he didn't know where she was.

Martos said doctors, who can't discuss Emily's case publicly due to privacy laws, told authorities that when Emily's mother removed the tubing, she failed to put a cap on the open line leading into the girl's body. That's left the young girl susceptible to a potentially deadly infection.

The cap was found in the girl's hospital bathroom.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said Emily's immune system is already compromised from the cancer and chemotherapy.

"If bacteria get into the blood stream that can cause a serious infection," Schaffner said.

The open catheter could serve as a pathway for bacteria, he said, adding that an infection is not only possible, but likely.

"These are life-threatening infections, particularly in young children who've had leukemia and chemotherapy," Schaffner said.

And the longer the girl is away from medical care, the greater the risk of contamination.

If infection does set in, he said, the girl could die "in a few days or worse, hours."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57557199/charges-mulled-in-missing-sick-girl-case/

Father: Sick girl safe and being treated in Mexico

By BRIAN SKOLOFF
— Dec. 5 10:51 PM EST

PHOENIX (AP) — The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of a sick girl with leukemia deepened Wednesday after her father said his 11-year-old daughter is being treated in Mexico and authorities considered bringing child neglect charges against the family.

Phoenix police have been looking for Emily since surveillance video one week ago showed the girl's mother walking her out of Phoenix Children's Hospital a day before the child was set to be released.

Authorities are searching for the girl in Arizona, California and Mexico, where the family has relatives, as doctors say she could contract a potentially deadly infection if not returned for treatment.

The girl underwent about a month of chemotherapy and had been treated for an infection that forced doctors to amputate her arm, police said. Doctors had inserted a tube through her chest to deliver medications through her heart. Her mother unhooked the tubing from an IV and left with the girl, leaving her susceptible to infection.

Phoenix police said the parents could face criminal neglect charges if they didn't return the girl.

U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped the father, Luis Bracamontes, 46, as he crossed into Arizona from Mexico over the weekend, but the man denied any involvement in removing his daughter from the hospital and said he didn't know where she was.

However, in an interview this week with NBC News, Bracamontes said his daughter was safe and being treated by doctors in Mexico.

"She is well and she is fine," he said while declining to reveal where the girl was being treated.

Bracamontes blames the Phoenix hospital for the loss of his daughter's arm and says the family was being pressured over mounting medical bills. He displayed photos of the girl both before and after the surgery and talked on his mobile phone to a girl and a woman he claimed were his daughter and wife.

The hospital cannot comment on Emily's condition due to health privacy laws, but in a statement Wednesday said decisions about patient care are not based on ability to pay.

"Phoenix Children's Hospital is deeply concerned about Emily's safety and well-being and continues to cooperate with law enforcement," the hospital statement read. "If Emily's family has questions about her care, we encourage open communication and discussion of options with the care team."

The girl's grandfather, Luis Bracamontes, said he has not talked to his son in 15 days and doesn't know where the girl is — including if she is even in Mexico.

"We are worried because we don't know what's going on," said Bracamontes, 76, in Spanish from his home in San Jose, Calif.

He doesn't know why the girl was taken from the hospital but said the amputation might have had something to do with it. He said some of his relatives are assuring him that the girl is fine and getting good medical attention.

Bracamontes said his son sometimes lived in San Jose and sometimes in Phoenix. The family is originally from Mexico.

Phoenix police, meanwhile, say the story of the girl's father raises even more red flags.

"We're in the same spot we were in last Thursday when we began looking for her," police Sgt. Steve Martos said Wednesday. "We understand the right of a parent to change doctors, to change hospitals, we're not challenging that. We just want to make sure that Emily is getting the right medical attention that she requires to prevent this potential horrific ending."

Martos said doctors in Phoenix told authorities that if Emily's catheter is not tended to, it could make her susceptible to a deadly infection that could kill her in a matter of days.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said Emily's immune system is already compromised from the cancer and chemotherapy.

"If bacteria get into the blood stream, that can cause a serious infection," Schaffner said.

The open catheter could serve as a pathway for bacteria, he said, adding that a potentially deadly infection is not only possible, but likely.

Martos said the father's story only adds to investigators' bewilderment that began when the mother inexplicably removed the child from the hospital. He said surveillance video shows the mother and child getting into a dark-colored minivan, but the license plates on the car were registered to a different vehicle.

"It all just makes us even more curious that they're unwilling to provide us with basic information to confirm what he is saying, and they're still trying to hide Emily," Martos said. "There's certainly the potential for some criminal charges."

"So we're going to continue looking for her until we either run out of leads or she is found," he added. "We can't just drop it."

bigstory.ap.org/article/police-seek-sick-girl-taken-phoenix-hospital

'My mom's only trying to save my life:' Girl with leukemia speaks out after mother removed her from Phoenix hospital and took her to Mexico

'She's happy. She's getting better,' says Emily's mother, who took her from Phoenix hospital two weeks ago
Emily, 11, had arm amputated after developing an infection
Doctors warned girl would 'die in days' if heart catheter not removed
Luis Bracamontes said his daughter was 'threatened and intimidated' at Phoenix Children's Hospital

By Mario Ledwith and Louise Boyle

PUBLISHED: 09:35 EST, 12 December 2012 | UPDATED: 15:47 EST, 12 December 2012

An 11-year-old girl with leukemia whose mother removed her from a hospital while she still had a catheter in her heart is 'getting better,' according to her mother.

'She's happy. She's getting better,' Emily Bracamontes' mother told NBC's Today Show in her first interview since she removed Emily from Phoenix Children's Hospital so she could take her to Mexico to continue her care.

Emily had been receiving chemotherapy at Phoenix Children's Hospital for a month when her mother Norma removed an IV drip from her arm, changed her clothes and walked her out of the facility two weeks ago.

'I'm happy that I'm going back home to see my doctors in Mexico,' Emily, wearing a bright pink hat, told NBC. 'My mom's only trying to save my life,' she added. 'She doesn't want me to die in a hospital. So I was happy that she took that decision.'

Emily's parents say they felt pressured over health care insurance and mounting costs at the Phoenix hospital.

They also claimed that their daughter, who contracted an infection at the hospital that led to her arm being amputated, was 'threatened and intimidated' by doctors there.

But Emily's doctors in Phoenix are concerned that the decision to remove her - especially with the catheter still her in heart - could endanger her life.

We steadfastly disagree with the assertions brought forth regarding the quality of care Emily recieved,' the hospital said in a statement. 'Emily's health and wellbeing continues to be our primary concern.'

The Phoenix police department said it hasn't verified any claims by the family against the hospital.

'We have been unable to verify anything the family has said regarding medical treatment to Emily,' the police department said. 'The family has been uncooperative.'

Mr Bracamontes, showing a cellphone picture of Emily in a Mexican hospital bed, told NBC: 'They [doctors] told my wife that she already had it [the infection]. That’s not true. Her arm was healthy.'

Battling illness: Emily Bracamontes, pictured in hospital in the U.S., is now being cared for by doctors in Mexico

Emily's doctors in Phoenix believe that the catheter placed in her heart could cause a deadly infection if she is not returned to have it removed.

Following Emily's disappearance, Phoenix Police's Steve Martos said: 'If she contracts an infection, it really could just be a matter of days that could result in the young girl's death. It's pretty serious.'

Camera footage shows Mrs Bracamontes, 35, pushing an IV stand through the hospital's hallways while her daughter, whose bandaged arm is visible, can be seen following her.

Mrs Bracamontes and Emily are U.S. citizens while Mr Bracamontes, 46, is a Mexican citizen with a U.S. resident alien identification card.

Mrs Bracamontes said she had no choice but to take her daughter from the hospital because her husband's insurance is running out. Mr Bracamontes said Phoenix Hospital was putting pressure on the family over rising medical bills.

The couple have not been charged with a crime so far but police said charges were still possible for negligence or abuse.

United States Customs and Border Patrol Officers stopped Luis Bracamontes as he tried to cross into America from Mexico on Saturday.

The man was quizzed about the whereabouts of his daughter Emily, but denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Police said that Mr Bracamontes was not driving the same black Ford van in which Emily left the hospital in when they stopped him.

They have described the family as 'nomadic' and without a permanent residence, but said they have relatives in Arizona, California and Mexico.


Mrs. Bracamontes and Emily are U.S. citizens while Mr Bracamontes, also pictured, is a Mexican citizen with a U.S. resident alien identification card

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246999/Emily-Bracamontes-Girl-leukemia-speaks-mother-removed-Phoenix-hospital.html#ixzz2JhRrYuLB