Gut Feeling: Michigan Mom Demands Change After Little Boy Killed By His Own Father

Brandi Morey-Pols knew something wasn't right. The Mid-Michigan mother had a gut feeling that her little boy was in danger but she was powerless to do anything about it. Her son, six-year-old Rowan Morey, was killed by his father last week in an apparent murder-suicide in Isabella County.

The boy's mother says it didn't have to end this way and wants to bring change to a system that is "fundamentally broken."

A History of Abuse

Although Morey-Pols has not provided specific details, she says the boy's father, Michael Winchell abused the boy when he was in his custody. She says her son had started to self-harm, banging his head on a metal table in the dining room. She tells local news outlets that Winchell had shaved the boy's head several time while he was in his care.

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Morey-Pols reported Rowan missing on August 19 after his father missed the designated drop-off time. He was found dead two days later in a camper on property in Chippewa Township with his father, who authorities believe killed the boy before taking his own life.

Young Boy Failed by a Broken System

Brandi Morey-Pols says she routinely agonized over whether the boy would return home when he was in his father's custody.

However, it appears that the level of abuse didn't meet the threshold for further investigations.

“This man abused this child. I used every resource possible. I called CPS. I was screamed [at] and berated and told by the courts that I had misused the system and it was for children that need it,” Brandi said.

Jerry Pols is Rowan's grandfather. In this video, he talks about a "fundamentally broken" system that failed his grandson.

"This case tragically illustrates that our family court system is not merely flawed but fundamentally broken," Pols said. "There are not cracks but gaping holes that allow children like Rowan fall through with catastrophic consequences."

Mother Pushes for Change

Police in Michigan are not permitted to issue an Amber Alert for children who are with a custodial parent.

Morey-Pols is planning to start a nonprofit called 'Rowan's Law' hoping to change Amber Alert protocols in order to include parental abductions. She's also pushing for mental health evaluations for parents who are granted supervision of their children.

"I want to see changes where any (Friend of the Court) case that’s started, both parties get mental health evaluations, and if there’s a red flag there, you’re getting supervised visits until you’re okay because none of this was okay," she said. "My son was not treated okay."