Original story from FOX17:

Crossville mother Michelle Kelley is calling for accountability from the Department of Child Services after she had been trying to unite her adopted daughter with one of her biological siblings.

She had adopted her daughter Ella after fostering her for eighteen months and hoped to adopt one of Ella’s siblings if more came into state custody. She says DCS agreed and asked them to let her know when one was available.

However, in June Kelley said she had discovered Ella’s biological mother had given birth again, and the biological grandmother told her around August that the child was in DCS custody.

She claims DCS told her that Child Protective Services had tried reaching out to her, but Kelley claims she didn’t get any calls.

FOX17 says they spoke to another woman who has four of Ella’s siblings and also never got a call from CPS.

Kelley also tried contacting DCS Commissioner Margie Quinn, who said she would look into the matter and see if she could expedite the adoption. Quinn would contact Kelley later, saying she didn’t think there would be any more delays.

Kelley said she had started preparing the home and her adopted daughter to receive a new addition to the home, based on this information only to get a call from the regional director who told her Judge Meadows decided to release the baby from DCS custody to her current foster placement before the hearing set to take place on Monday this week.

This decision ultimately means DCS was unable to send the child to the Kelley home.

Kelley says she doesn’t blame the judge but feels DCS needs to improve.

Commissioner Quin would respond to Kelley, telling her that she wasn’t happy with the results either, and would be working on the outcome. However, Kelley isn’t holding her breath on uniting Ella with her sister.

“This has nothing to do with my own feelings,” she said. “This has to do with if we can’t bring these girls together, in 18 years when she grows up, I can without hesitation that we did absolutely every single thing we could have for these two girls to grow up, and I want this little girl to know we fought for her.”

According to Kelley, she says the biological mother also would like for the two girls to be together.