How The 'System' Miserably Failed Maya Kowalski
Oct 10, 2023, 01:00 PM
In a recent episode of the podcast "Hidden Killers," Tony Brueski, in conversation with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke, delved into the gripping story of Maya Kowalski and the distressing series of events that unfolded at the renowned John Hopkins Children's Hospital. The situation raises crucial questions: how much power do medical authorities wield, and what happens when that power is misused?
The case centers on Maya's family's visit to the hospital. Alarmingly, her parents were accused of abuse and were separated from their daughter for over 90 days, with only highly regulated contact. Amidst this emotionally charged atmosphere, Maya's mother tragically took her own life. Brueski expressed his astonishment, "They were completely ripped away from their daughter... her mother ends up killing herself over the stress." The gravity of this comment underscores the severe emotional impact the ordeal had on the Kowalski family.
The decision to take such drastic action against the family is what remains perplexing. Drawing parallels between the incident and other professions, Dreeke points out, "Say you have a traffic stop and you have a patrol officer that has done thousands of car stops. They have a sense of what looks normal, what feels normal." He insinuates the importance of experience in judgment calls, "So the first question I have is for the people at the hospital that made this call, how many reps did they have when they made the call?"
A central figure in this controversial case is Dr. Sally Smith, who recently retired and was revealed to have played a role in other problematic cases where children were wrongly removed from families. One such incident led to a father being imprisoned for nearly a year. "Dr. Sally has had more than 3,000 cases that she's worked on over the course of 30 years. So this is not like it's new to her, but these are pretty detrimental screw-ups that she's making with people's lives," says Brueski. The troubling pattern of erroneous decisions by Dr. Smith further adds to the complexity of the issue.
What's even more confounding is that the system often bases its decisions largely on one person's judgment, as Dreeke pointed out, "It's just basically the judgment or the opinion of one person. That seems to have extreme effects far more than our legal system is supposed to allow for."
However, there's no dismissing the somber reality that Maya's mother, overwhelmed by the sequence of events, took her own life. Dreeke suggests the existence of deeper issues: "The little girl and her being taken from the family for 90 days might have been a straw that broke the camel's back, but there's mental health issues if you're committing suicide."
On a closing note, while analyzing the broader implications of the case, the conversation underscores the importance of due diligence when availing medical services. As Dreeke rightly points out, "When you are dealing with the medical community, you're buying a service... we can start making other choices." However, for the Kowalski family, those choices came with profound consequences.
In a world that entrusts medical authorities with power and responsibility, the Maya Kowalski case serves as a grave reminder of the potential pitfalls when that trust is misplaced. The pertinent question remains: how do we strike the right balance between safeguarding the welfare of patients and preventing potential abuse of authority?
Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj
Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
The case centers on Maya's family's visit to the hospital. Alarmingly, her parents were accused of abuse and were separated from their daughter for over 90 days, with only highly regulated contact. Amidst this emotionally charged atmosphere, Maya's mother tragically took her own life. Brueski expressed his astonishment, "They were completely ripped away from their daughter... her mother ends up killing herself over the stress." The gravity of this comment underscores the severe emotional impact the ordeal had on the Kowalski family.
The decision to take such drastic action against the family is what remains perplexing. Drawing parallels between the incident and other professions, Dreeke points out, "Say you have a traffic stop and you have a patrol officer that has done thousands of car stops. They have a sense of what looks normal, what feels normal." He insinuates the importance of experience in judgment calls, "So the first question I have is for the people at the hospital that made this call, how many reps did they have when they made the call?"
A central figure in this controversial case is Dr. Sally Smith, who recently retired and was revealed to have played a role in other problematic cases where children were wrongly removed from families. One such incident led to a father being imprisoned for nearly a year. "Dr. Sally has had more than 3,000 cases that she's worked on over the course of 30 years. So this is not like it's new to her, but these are pretty detrimental screw-ups that she's making with people's lives," says Brueski. The troubling pattern of erroneous decisions by Dr. Smith further adds to the complexity of the issue.
What's even more confounding is that the system often bases its decisions largely on one person's judgment, as Dreeke pointed out, "It's just basically the judgment or the opinion of one person. That seems to have extreme effects far more than our legal system is supposed to allow for."
However, there's no dismissing the somber reality that Maya's mother, overwhelmed by the sequence of events, took her own life. Dreeke suggests the existence of deeper issues: "The little girl and her being taken from the family for 90 days might have been a straw that broke the camel's back, but there's mental health issues if you're committing suicide."
On a closing note, while analyzing the broader implications of the case, the conversation underscores the importance of due diligence when availing medical services. As Dreeke rightly points out, "When you are dealing with the medical community, you're buying a service... we can start making other choices." However, for the Kowalski family, those choices came with profound consequences.
In a world that entrusts medical authorities with power and responsibility, the Maya Kowalski case serves as a grave reminder of the potential pitfalls when that trust is misplaced. The pertinent question remains: how do we strike the right balance between safeguarding the welfare of patients and preventing potential abuse of authority?
Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj
Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com