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A Tarrant County family is suing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, alleging that the department wrongfully removed the family\u2019s 2-year-old daughter after the family\u2019s other child, a 2-month-old boy, died in 2023.<\/p>\n
Chelsea and Timothy Ragland, as parents and on behalf of their daughter, are suing Texas DFPS and its contractor ACH Child & Family Services, operating as Our Community Our Kids, as well as seven current and former DFPS and Our Community Our Kids employees. The Raglands\u2019 lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division<\/a>, accuses the state agency, its contractor, and the current and former employees of improperly removing the Raglands\u2019 daughter from their home after the sudden death of their 2-month-old son.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Texas DFPS said the department does not comment on pending litigation. Our Community Our Kids did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Star-Telegram.<\/p>\n \u201cChelsea and Timothy Ragland lost their son on the darkest night of their lives. In that moment, they deserved compassion,\u201d the family\u2019s attorney Imani Maatuka said in a statement. \u201cInstead, as we allege, Texas CPS turned their grief into a case against them, and the foundation of that case was a report that never existed.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit\u2019s accusations began when Timothy Ragland, Jr. died suddenly in 2023 while being fed, according to the lawsuit. Less than 72 hours after Timothy, better known as TJ, died, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Our Community Our Kids filed a petition to remove the Raglands\u2019 surviving daughter from their care, according to the lawsuit. The girl was a \u201chealthy two-year-old with no injuries, no medical concerns, and no history of abuse,\u201d according to the Raglands\u2019 lawsuit.<\/p>\n The Raglands\u2019 complaint says the sworn affidavit used to justify the girl\u2019s removal relied on a preliminary autopsy report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n \u201cThat report did not exist, yet the complaint alleges it was referenced at least 52 times across the State\u2019s records and filings,\u201d according to a news release from the Raglands\u2019 attorney.<\/p>\n TJ\u2019s cause of death is listed as undetermined on the Tarrant County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office website.<\/p>\n The Raglands\u2019 daughter was removed from the family\u2019s home and placed with her maternal grandmother, the lawsuit said. Chelsea Ragland was found culpable of \u201cneglectful supervision and physical abuse for the act of leaving her infant son in the care of his father,\u201d according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n In April 2024, a Tarrant County judge dismissed the state\u2019s case, according to the complaint. But both parents remain on the \u201cTexas child-abuser central registry,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n The lawsuit accuses the state of fabricating evidence and violating the family\u2019s due process rights. The family is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, as well as the parents\u2019 removal from the registry.<\/p>\n \u201cChelsea and Timothy endured a year of pain and humiliation, at enormous emotional and financial cost, and had to fight all the way to trial before a judge dismissed the State\u2019s case in its entirety,\u201d Maatuka said in a statement.<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n