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My Dad | EP 5 | Season 3

Burden of Guilt

Hosted by Nancy Glass

34m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

Following the arrest of her fiance Kenny Hamp on child abuse charges, Cyndi faced an emergency custody hearing where Judge Mary Hope restricted her parenting time to a weekly phone call and a four-hour visit, leaving her children with her ex-husband Steve for up to 60 days. Cyndi felt the courtroom was chaotic and disorganized, noting that the judge never addressed the initial allegation involving a wedgie and that Steve and his attorney appeared unconcerned. Meanwhile, child advocacy center forensic interviewer Wendy conducted recorded interviews with Cyndi's three children. The nine-year-old twin initially described a friendly wedgie from Kenny while watching the movie Rango, but later mentioned a dream about a strong man starting with K. During the interview, Wendy introduced outside medical information from pediatrician Dr. Sheila Fountain, asking the boy how else his bottom might have been hurt. The other twin arrived carrying a typed 22-item agenda created by stepmother Christine, which listed grievances against Cyndi and included notes about a conversation with his father where Steve suggested Kenny had shoved something up his bottom. Ultimately, DHS caseworker Kamala Height's investigation resulted in founded findings of physical and sexual abuse against Kenny and emotional abuse against Cyndi, prompting Cyndi and Kenny to appeal and claim they were victims of a set-up.

  • Child advocacy center forensic interviews are designed to be neutral spaces where children are ideally interviewed once to see if a disclosure of abuse is made. 9:10
  • The nine-year-old boy initially stated that a wedgie from Kenny was just for fun and that he still loved him. 11:33
  • The 13-year-old daughter stated she had no idea why she was brought in and maintained that Kenny had never touched anyone's body parts. 27:55
  • The nine-year-old boy's story escalated after his father told him in the bath that Kenny had shoved something up his bottom. 37:33
  • The DHS investigation concluded with founded allegations of physical and sexual abuse against Kenny and emotional abuse against Cyndi. 40:05

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Podcast Intro and Host Greeting

    Nancy Glass introduces the episode and the iHeart Podcast branding.

  2. 3:55
    Case Overview: Cyndi’s Family Turmoil

    Nancy outlines the arrest of Cyndi’s fiancé and the ensuing custody battle with her ex-husband.

  3. 4:53
    Court Hearing Chaos and Miscommunication

    Cyndi describes the disorganized emergency hearing and the judge’s focus on a wedgie instead of abuse allegations.

  4. 6:51
    DHS Investigation and Email Friction

    Cyndi recounts her attempts to contact the DHS caseworker and the frustration over limited responses.

  5. 8:08
    Forensic Interview Process Explained

    Expert Cassandra Baca explains how child forensic interviews are conducted and why they are critical.

  6. 11:44
    Children’s Testimonies: Wedgie and Alleged Abuse

    The three children give their accounts of a wedgie, a dream, and alleged abuse during forensic interviews.

  7. 35:16
    DHS Findings: Founded vs. Unfounded

    Kamala Height reveals the DHS report that found abuse allegations founded and the impact on the family.

  8. 41:05
    Family’s Reaction to Findings and Next Steps

    The family reacts to the DHS findings, expresses disbelief, and plans further action.

  9. 43:06
    Episode Wrap‑Up and Listener Call‑to‑Action

    Nancy thanks listeners, invites subscriptions, and shares contact information for the show.

Highlights

  • 4:40

    Emergency Custody Hearing Chaosstory

    Cyndi describes her emergency custody hearing before Judge Mary Hope as chaotic and disorganized, noting that the judge never identified the initial wedgie allegation and ruled to reduce Cyndi's parenting time without hearing from doctors or witnesses.

  • 9:10

    Neutral Role of Forensic Interviewersinsight

    Multidisciplinary team coordinator Cassandra Baca explains that child advocacy center forensic interviews are completely neutral and aim to provide a safe space rather than elicit disclosures or prove a crime.

  • 11:26

    Initial Wedgie Descriptionstory

    The nine-year-old boy tells the forensic interviewer that Kenny gave him a huge wedgie while watching the movie Rango, insisting it was just for fun and that he still loves Kenny.

  • 19:13

    Leading Question Regarding Medical Concernsinsight

    Wendy departs from standard protocol by telling the nine-year-old boy that Dr. Sheila Fountain is worried his injuries did not happen from a wedgie, asking him to explain how else they could have happened.

  • 22:18

    Typed Agenda Brought to Interviewdata

    The second twin boy arrives at his forensic interview carrying a 22-item printed agenda typed up by his stepmother Christine, listing grievances against Cyndi and questions about where he wants to live.

  • 37:41

    Escalation of Abuse Allegationsstory

    The nine-year-old boy's story changes drastically after 48 hours; he tells caseworker Kamala Height that his father Steve told him in the bath that Kenny had shoved something up his bottom.

  • 40:05

    Found DHS Investigation Findingsdata

    Caseworker Kamala Height's final report concludes that allegations of emotional abuse against Cyndi and physical and sexual abuse against Kenny are founded, placing their names in a statewide database.

Quotes

  • “When there's chaos, there's going to be confusion.”
    Unnamed speaker · 4:49
  • “I was shocked. The judge made a ruling without a doctor present or the witness that said, my son said these things.”
    Unnamed speaker · 6:07
  • “You mentioned that you watched Rango with Kenny and other people.”
    Unnamed speaker · 12:13
  • “The DHS findings meant there were only two options.”
    Nancy Glass · 41:05
  • Underdog 0:00–0:35
  • OnDeck 0:35–2:52
  • Underdog 13:56–15:03
  • OnDeck 15:05–15:32

About this episode

The children’s forensic interviews reveal inconsistencies about the alleged abuse. And then, 48 hours after those initial interviews, the child’s story would escalate. It left investigators wondering, “What happened?” You can reach out to the Burden of Guilt team at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. For more Burden of Guilt, follow us on Instagram @glasspodcasts https://www.instagram.com/glasspodcasts/. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

0:00
34:58

6,805 words · 8 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Child Abuse Investigation
  • Forensic Interviews
  • Custody Dispute
  • Family Law
  • DHS Investigation

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated