The SEAY Children - Spotsylvania (N of Richmond) VA

Spotsylvania mom charged with child endangerment

Mom accused of child endangerment for waiting to report daughter missing

Date published: 11/12/2010
A Spotsylvania County woman was charged with felony child endangerment after she waited all night to report her 7-year-old daughter missing, police said.Sheriff's Lt. Col. Michael Timm said deputies went to the 1800 block of Stoney Creek Drive after the mother called at 8 a.m. Wednesday to report the missing girl. The mother told police she hadn't seen her daughter since 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, Timm said.Deputies found the child a short time later safe and sound at a neighbor's house. The neighbor had taken the girl in out of the cold, Timm said, and fed her breakfast.During the subsequent investigation, Timm said Deputy K. Mills was told that what happened with the girl was not uncommon. Neighbors also said the girl frequently came to the bus stop inappropriately dressed; at least one time she showed up in her pajamas, Timm said.Timm said the home was filthy and a little boy was alone in a high chair for some time while the mother was outside with police.Melissa Linn Seay, 26, was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail.Court records show that Seay has a pending trial in Fredericksburg General District Court for driving under the influence of drugs with a child in the car. She was arrested on that charge in the city on Aug. 27.Her two children are now in the custody of social services, Timm said.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/112010/11122010/587850

With children removed, judge releases mother

Judge declines to revoke bond; mother remains free

Date published: 11/18/2010
A judge yesterday decided not to revoke the bond of a woman who is now facing two separate charges involving the alleged neglect of her 7-year-old daughter.Melissa Linn Seay, 26, of Spotsylvania was arrested last week in connection with an incident in which Seay called police after she couldn't find her daughter.The child ended up at a neighbor's house eating breakfast and was unharmed.Seay was already free on bond for an Aug. 26 incident involving the same child, and Fredericksburg prosecutor Natalie Madden tried to have that bond revoked during a hearing in Fredericksburg Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.Judge David Peterson ruled in Seay's favor, but ordered that she not provide care to any child until further notice.Defense attorney Rachel Redfern had pointed out that Seay's children were already in someone else's care and said there was no reason to revoke her bond.The Spotsylvania incident occurred Nov. 8. Police went to Seay's home in the 1800 block of Stoney Creek Drive after Seay called at 8 a.m. to report the child missing.Sheriff's Lt. Col. Michael Timm said Seay was charged following an investigation during which neighbors told police that the child is frequently neglected and inappropriately dressed.Seay was charged with felony child endangerment and spent five days in jail before being released on bond.Seay said that police reports about that incident were highly exaggerated. She said the child had been gone only about 15 or 20 minutes when Seay woke up that morning and realized she was gone.Seay said the child apparently was confused by the time change and had gotten up an hour earlier than normal after hearing Seay's roommate's alarm clock sounding.The child apparently was worried that she was going to miss the bus, so she put on a dress and grabbed her bookbag and left without her mother's knowledge, Seay said.Seay said child often catches the bus with a neighbor's children, but no one answered the door that morning so she ended up at another home.Seay, who is the office manager for neurologist Dr. Michael Cohen, said she expected a lecture when a detective asked to speak with her and was shocked to be arrested. "I thought I did the right thing, but it turned out to be a nightmare," Seay said in a telephone interview before the hearing.The child endangerment and driving while intoxicated charges in Fredericksburg stem from an Aug. 26 incident on U.S. 1 in front of the Fredericksburg Shopping Center.A police report says Seay was driving erratically at 3 a.m., striking the curb several times. The child was in the car.Seay, who was barefooted and wearing pajamas, said she was having an adverse reaction to the Ambien she was taking and didn't remember anything when she woke up in jail.Cohen, who prescribed the sleep-aid drug to Seay, testified yesterday that "automatic driving," or driving while sleepwalking, is a possible side effect of Ambien.http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/112010/11182010/588984?rss=local

Below is a copy of an affidavit I have filed in support of Ms. Seay. It says pretty much what I want to say in response to the charges brought against her. Her children have always been extraordinarily taken care of by her. There are roughly 80 or so friends, patients, and acquaintances that have stepped forward to support this mother.


To whom it may concern:

I am a 31-year-old single father of three children. I work as a technician for the State Department and I am currently serving as a Specialist in the West Virginia National Guard in a unit that was recently deployed to the Middle East.
I have known Melissa L. Seay for well over a year now. My children and I have spent a considerable amount of time with her and her children at her home. I can say without hesitance or doubt that Ms. Seay is one of the most kindhearted, gentle, affectionate, and loving parents I have ever met. I know for a fact that Ms. Seay does not smoke, abuse drugs, and will rarely drink alcohol. She leads a clean lifestyle and actively promotes health and wellness to others. I am thankful for her support and willful insistence has helped me to quit smoking and I appreciate her continuing support.
Ms. Seay is quite intelligent. She currently holds a college degree with plans to achieve additional degrees. She manages a private medical practice in Stafford, Virginia and works on average 50-60 hours per week. Ms. Seay demonstrated her dedication to the healthcare industry when she returned to work just four days after giving birth to her son ****. As I have seen during brief visits to her place of work, she not only knows her patients quite well but they have an obvious appreciation for Ms. Seay. I have known her to visit elderly patients at their homes on her own free time to answer all their questions regarding Medicare and health insurance. I have known her to visit ill patients in the hospital and attend the funerals of patients she holds dear to her heart.
I have seen Ms. Seay help her co-workers both financially and by, again, using her free time to do things such as provide them transportation and emotional support when needed. I have never known her to ask for anything in return. I know that she makes her living honestly through hard work and dedication, instead of soliciting welfare or handouts. Ms. Seay has, in my opinion, has proved herself to be an asset to society despite having faced numerous hardships in life. She has prevailed where the vast majority of people would have faltered and for that, I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for her.
As the single father of three children, I know the trials and tribulations that come with raising children and often without much outside help. As stated before, my children and I have spent a considerable amount of time with the Seay family at their home on Stoney Creek Drive. I have had the pleasure of observing Ms. Seay in her role as a responsible parent. She cares deeply for her children, just as any good parent would, and excels when it comes to teaching values, inspiring creative thought, encouraging education, and providing the proper guidance that you would expect. Not once have I observed ******** or ****** being treated in a neglectful manner. Ms. Seay ensured that the children were always supervised, fed, clothed, and taken care of properly at all times.
I have even had opportunities to observe Ms. Seay’s methods of discipline which have included time out, toy restriction, and calm conversations about appropriate behavior. I have observed her behavior during a couple of very stressful parenting dealings with her children (and mine) and was absolutely delighted that she remained calm, collected, and optimistic through the events. There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Seay has always and will always be an exceptional mother. Due to this belief I have, and would not hesitate to, entrust Ms. Seay in providing the same care to my own children in my absence.
These charges against Ms. Seay are not only unnecessary and I believe they should be dismissed. I believe that Ms. Seay acted in the same way that any good parent would have acted if given the situation presented to her. The community as a whole suffers burden for every moment Ms. Seay is kept from maintaining her roles as a great parent, model employee, and productive member of society. I look forward to these charges being dropped and full custodial rights of ******** *. Seay and **** *. Seay restored to Melissa L. Seay.

Wow, she went back to work when her baby was only 4 days old? I find that really unusual. Did she take the baby to work with her??

Yes, back to work... She still had bills to pay. the father was a complete loser. He abondoned her a week or so before she gave birth, and wouldn't even pick her up at the hospital afterward. Thankfully he has no part in her life. She took the youngest to work with her every day because she couldn't afford childcare.

Thankfully, she is able to spend time with her kids this Thanksgiving.

In this case, these charges are completely unfounded. The prior charge she was actually sleepwalking. She had no idea what was even happening until she "woke up."

The other incident in which the actual neglect charge is applied, there is no reason to even charge a parent when this happens. All my kids have gone outside without telling me before, and it's a terrible worry when we realize they have but we take corrective action- not end up arrested.

By what I know, she was arrested only after the detective (Twyla DeMoranville) and her got into a heated conversation. Twyla was one of the detectives who worked on the Lisk case here in VA about a decade ago, and has focused mainly on child-oriented cases.

Even through conversations with Keith Epps, who reported this story- he has heard the entire story and is now going to cover these trials with a focus on how ridiculous the charges are and what it is doing to this remarkable woman.

Thank goodness these children are now in safe hands as this is obviously a case of another drug addict. "Baddrummer", if this woman is so hard working 50-60 hours a week supposedly, and is a single mother, she would not need a sleeping aid of any kind. Any real hard working Mom falls into bed every night from sheer exhaustion. She is so busy in the night hours she can't possibly work that much. A simple call to the office will tell anyone that there are no patients supporting her. These are all lies. Also, baby daddy did not abandon her. The poor young guy she tried to pin paternity on took a DNA test that proved he was not the father. So does she even know who the sperm donor is? is he involved or paying any child support. If she is such a "great" mother, why is she not advocating for her child? Also, was this the first time DSS was called on this woman? They have been there before, she obviously was on their radar. She is a pathetic excuse for a mother.

While I can't speak to any of the charges against the mom, I do want to say that people suffering from depression and anxiety often experience insomnia and most certainly DO sometimes need sleep aids. It has nothing to do with how hard they work during the day. If there is a chemical imbalance in the brain due to depression, no matter how exhausted a person is, they do not have the ability to fall asleep. Just sayin'.

Edit: I'm not going to post unrelated drama to here. But I know who you are, jstar. I know the pain and hardship you've caused this woman. I know what you've done to try and ruin her life. I know how she desperately has tried to get you to stay away from her but like a stalker you just can't grow up and leave her alone.


I will do everything in my power to keep you away from her and her children.

Baddrummer, your desperate attempts at damage control are obvious, and no, I do not think that you know me at all. . All I did was to list facts, which can never be discredited. There are still questions about where the father is.

jstar wrote:Baddrummer, your desperate attempts at damage control are obvious, and no, I do not think that you know me at all. . All I did was to list facts, which can never be discredited. There are still questions about where the father is.

Who the father is doesn't matter.

I'm sorry that you are still so obsessed with Missy and her children. I'm sorry that you've had to resort to such drastic means to express your anger over what happened.

You have a personal vendetta against her and you need to back out of her life. Tell your son to do the same.

Boy, you are really confused. Since you think you are so smart, you would know that I do not have a son. Based upon your posts, you seem to be the one with an obsession.

No, we're not going to play this game anymore.

We really need to be concerned with the facts of this case. Ms. Seay seems to be doing a pretty good job of losing custody of her children all by herself, through her own choices, lack of concern for her children's welfare and safety. If she is a responsible parent, she would not be messing around with any drugs that would jeopardize her safety, her children's safety, and the public. I would not want her driving around high on something around me or my loved ones. How is this making her a great mother or contributing member of society. Its disgusting to see anyone make excuses for this behavior. And a filthy house. Anyone that condones this is just as bad.

No one is condoning anything, jstar, however Ambien has been known, in rare cases, to cause people to sleepwalk/drive. Other people take it without any side-effects whatsoever. I believe Marie Osmond had an adverse reaction to it, but I could be mistaken. Obviously, Ms. Seay needs to find an alternative sleeping aid.

If it is true that Ambien is what she was high on. She could have a valid prescription for it and be totally whacked out on something else.
That is easy to figure out. It just sounds like an excuse any drug addict would use. I happen to have a prescription for it and have read on the internet that addicts can and will abuse it by taking too many or crushing it and snorting it.

jstar wrote:If it is true that Ambien is what she was high on. She could have a valid prescription for it and be totally whacked out on something else.
That is easy to figure out. It just sounds like an excuse any drug addict would use. I happen to have a prescription for it and have read on the internet that addicts can and will abuse it by taking too many or crushing it and snorting it.

And lots of every day, hard working, people take it and aren't drug addicts. You yourself say you have a prescription. Does that make you a drug addict? Please be careful about making insinuations. Thank you.

Admin wrote:

jstar wrote:If it is true that Ambien is what she was high on. She could have a valid prescription for it and be totally whacked out on something else.
That is easy to figure out. It just sounds like an excuse any drug addict would use. I happen to have a prescription for it and have read on the internet that addicts can and will abuse it by taking too many or crushing it and snorting it.

And lots of every day, hard working, people take it and aren't drug addicts. You yourself say you have a prescription. Does that make you a drug addict? Please be careful about making insinuations. Thank you.

According to jstar he/she isn't hard working either or he/she wouldn't need that Ambien prescription. People are so darn odd.

I said "If". FYI. the word "if"does not imply an insinuation. Look it up. Take your own advice. Thank you. People are odd, on that I agree.

jstar wrote:Thank goodness these children are now in safe hands as this is obviously a case of another drug addict.

I'm not interested in playing word games with you. I'm asking you to please refrain from insinuating this mom is a drug addict, unless you have solid proof to back it up. Thank you.

The proof has been printed in the newspaper. If you can read than you can understand that they print facts. Facts are that she was driving erratically at 3 AM and arrested for the endangerment of her child. Along with not knowing where her other child was for a whole night the next month, chances are pretty high that there is a problem. That along with a filthy house..... Most normal people would feel sorry and concerned for these innocent children placed in such danger. I do and I don't apologize for that.

What's funny is that I really don't have anything to say. Jstar, you've made your motives quite clear.

Thank you.

jstar wrote:The proof has been printed in the newspaper. If you can read than you can understand that they print facts. Facts are that she was driving erratically at 3 AM and arrested for the endangerment of her child. Along with not knowing where her other child was for a whole night the next month, chances are pretty high that there is a problem. That along with a filthy house..... Most normal people would feel sorry and concerned for these innocent children placed in such danger. I do and I don't apologize for that.

The FACT is, she was on Ambien, which can cause sleepdriving. You yourself have a prescription for Ambien. This does not make you a drug addict, nor does it make her one. Hopefully, since she has had an adverse reaction ot it, she doesn't take it anymore, and has found a suitable alternative.

I do feel sorry for her children, and I feel sorry for her. A single mom, with no help, working 50-60 hours a week (for a doctor, btw) doing the best she can, is what I see. She is likely suffering from depression, which can be delibitating. The other thing I see is that she has so far managed to raise a very conscientious child, who was afraid to miss the bus. The child learned that kind of responsibility somewhere. This is a very sad situation, and unfortunately, many single moms are in this position in our country right now. Since she works for a doctor, I would assume that employees are regularly drug-tested, and if not, he/she would certainly be able to spot a drug-addicted employee.

I'm not excusing her living conditions, or leaving a baby in a high chair, not at all. I'm just saying given the thousands of really horrific cases of child abuse on this forum, this case is at the low end of the spectrum. It doesn't make it alright, I'm just saying it's not like she broke any of her children's bones, or dismembered them and placed them over two counties.

Admin wrote:

jstar wrote:The proof has been printed in the newspaper. If you can read than you can understand that they print facts. Facts are that she was driving erratically at 3 AM and arrested for the endangerment of her child. Along with not knowing where her other child was for a whole night the next month, chances are pretty high that there is a problem. That along with a filthy house..... Most normal people would feel sorry and concerned for these innocent children placed in such danger. I do and I don't apologize for that.

The FACT is, she was on Ambien, which can cause sleepdriving. You yourself have a prescription for Ambien. This does not make you a drug addict, nor does it make her one. Hopefully, since she has had an adverse reaction ot it, she doesn't take it anymore, and has found a suitable alternative.

I do feel sorry for her children, and I feel sorry for her. A single mom, with no help, working 50-60 hours a week (for a doctor, btw) doing the best she can, is what I see. She is likely suffering from depression, which can be delibitating. The other thing I see is that she has so far managed to raise a very conscientious child, who was afraid to miss the bus. The child learned that kind of responsibility somewhere. This is a very sad situation, and unfortunately, many single moms are in this position in our country right now. Since she works for a doctor, I would assume that employees are regularly drug-tested, and if not, he/she would certainly be able to spot a drug-addicted employee.

I'm not excusing her living conditions, or leaving a baby in a high chair, not at all. I'm just saying given the thousands of really horrific cases of child abuse on this forum, this case is at the low end of the spectrum. It doesn't make it alright, I'm just saying it's not like she broke any of her children's bones, or dismembered them and placed them over two counties.

The issue with the high chair, as I have been told, is that at the time the police came, the baby was in the highchair. The detective wanted to interview her, and a deputy there was in charge of watching the child while she spoke to police.


And as to her home being filthy, here is an old picture of my boys' room one morning, long ago (right before I made them clean it up). It was so bad I just had to take a picture of it.

The irony is that I sent this to Melissa, because I knew she would do just as well of a job of getting on my boys about it as I would. My home is almost always clean. But if you relax for just a little bit, or say... are overworked one day, it happens.

I fixed it so people don't have to download it, hope you don't mind.

That's comforting to know someone was watching the baby in the highchair. As for the home conditions, ha...I have four kids, and I swear, we get it spotless in here and two hours later it looks like a tornado hit. I don't know how it happens. There is a huge difference between clutter and filth, though. Just because you can't see the floor, doesn't mean it is filthy, sometimes it means your child tried on every outfit they own before deciding on one for the day and left the rest on the floor.

Oh I completely understand... that one time it was a mess, but I've fallen victim to the clothes tornado many, many times.

Melissa is worried about bringing that point up (the highchair), that somehow it would get the deputy in trouble. I'm not sure why she feels that way.