An Action News Jax investigation leads to a reunion between an Ohio couple and the four-year old boy named Dylan, whom they’ve been trying to adopt.
We first told you about an alleged adoption scheme involving a Putnam County woman last year .
Tina Scee’s rights to the boy have now been stripped.
The couple claims Scee misrepresented herself as a DCF employee who could help them adopt Dylan.
Scee is a Putnam County woman who once was Dylan’s guardian for the state.
The couple told us Scee provided documents that would allow them to take Dylan back to Ohio, even though he was still within Florida's foster care system.
This emotional reunion is the latest chapter of an Action News Jax investigation into an alleged adoption scheme. At the center of it all...this local four-year old boy. At 5:30, we're asking DCF whether it dropped the ball in this case. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/I2pLekE7Lr
— Kevin Clark (@KClark_News) February 27, 2019
"I really think that she saw an opportunity to have someone else raise a child and her collect money for it," Tim Anda told us last year.
Dylan lived with Anda and his husband in Ohio for nearly six months, but the couple grew concerned when they say Scee wouldn’t finalize their adoption.
After we started asking questions, then-DCF Secretary Mike Carroll told us the department would open a child protective investigation into this case.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also opened a criminal investigation into Scee. That investigation is still active.
The Andas are currently under gag order pending final adoption.
“It’s very important that she cannot ruin somebody else’s life the way she’s ruined their lives,” said family friend Rebecca Whitt.
On Tuesday, Whitt says a judge revoked Tina Scee’s adoption of Dylan, giving custody of him to the Andas.
“It was a sigh of relief,” she said, “Everybody can breathe now.”
Action News Jax has tried getting comment from Scee since last year.
We tried again as she walked out of the courtroom. Her attorney answered “no comment” to all of our questions.
There was also no answer at Scee’s home on Wednesday.
Finally, we asked DCF how Scee could send Dylan to live in a different state while he was still in Florida’s foster care system.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, we had still not heard back.
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