UPDATE 6/16/26:

After nearly 2 years of fighting to keep their children, the Buchanan family has been reunited!

Meet Darryl and Kierra Buchanan, loving parents to two children. They welcomed the birth of their son on October 14, 2024, after an emergency C-section was performed at UF Health Shands in Gainesville, Florida.

During her pregnancy, Kierra had very low vitamin D and iron levels. Their son’s labor was long and difficult; a resident doctor struggled to deliver the baby’s head, and a vacuum extractor was used. Kierra stayed on the operating table for about two hours. An X-ray was taken shortly after birth without the parents knowing.

In the days that followed, the baby developed a large, unexplained bruise on his right cheek that was not documented or charted, and no clear explanation was provided to his parents. He spent eight days at the NICU for hypoglycemia; a heart murmur was also observed.

Over the next several weeks, the baby saw multiple medical providers for unrelated concerns, including constipation, respiratory illness, and a cardiology appointment. During these visits, his parents noticed that he was handled roughly and showed signs of discomfort.

On November 23, 2024, Kierra observed swelling and bruising near her baby’s right shoulder and collarbone. She sought medical care several times. An initial ER visit revealed no issues. Concerned that the bruise was worsening, she took him to UF Health Shands for a second opinion on Thanksgiving.

This time, imaging revealed an alleged fracture of the right clavicle. At that point, DCF and law enforcement were contacted, and Kierra and Darryl were not allowed to leave the hospital with their children.

In the weeks that followed:

• Additional scans later revealed alleged healing rib fractures.
• The baby developed complications after routine vaccinations, including a knee infection.
• He experienced episodes of febrile seizures.
• A subsequent medical emergency uncovered a small brain bleed, infection, and other findings that multiple specialists later assessed.

Despite ongoing medical issues and repeated attempts by parents to seek care, both Buchanan children were seized by the state. Their older child was placed in foster care with strangers.

The baby was later placed in medical foster care. And, eventually, both children were placed with kinship care, where they remain today.

DCF has filed for termination of parental rights; the Buchanans’ trial, originally scheduled for January 13, 2026, has been continued to the week of April 20, 2026

Multiple independent medical experts have reviewed the medical records and concluded that the injuries and symptoms are consistent with underlying medical conditions rather than abuse. Genetic testing has shown that their son has a gene variant of uncertain significance related to Pyle’s disease, which can cause thinner bone ends, with him just being a carrier.

Throughout this entire process, Darryl and Kierra have:

• Denied all allegations of abuse
• Sought medical care appropriately and repeatedly for their son
• Followed professional guidance
• Cooperated fully with investigators
• Continued advocating for their children

Carol Lily, the Florida CPT director, stated during her deposition that some of the baby’s injuries were developmentally related, and she could not rule out medical staff mishandling him. Another state’s witness, a doctor, said that organic causes cannot be ruled out; that a Pyle’s disease variant can still affect bone health. When questioned by defense counsel about whether a developmental condition capable of causing the baby’s right wrist to appear fractured could also impact overall bone development or mineralization, the doctor said that he could not definitively confirm or exclude that possibility but stated that the reasoning was valid.

The Buchanan family is still separated — not because of proven abuse — but because they have a medically complex son, and cases like theirs are not thoroughly and properly investigated, leading to the premature removal of a child, and the fracturing of an innocent family.”

Directly donate to support the Buchanan family.