Child welfare hotline worker arrested for kidnapping 1-year-old girl she thought was in danger
An employee with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services has been accused of forging documents and using her position to kidnap a 1-year-old girl whom she believed was in an abusive situation. The state agency has decried the actions of the child welfare hotline worker as “absolutely shameful.”
The former employee, who worked the welfare hotline and was not authorized to work in the field, has been identified as 33-year-old Xander Daniel Faison, according to The Oklahoman. Faison was still being held at the Oklahoma County Jail as of last Tuesday, the news outlet reported.
Following the incident, the agency confirmed that Faison is no longer employed by the Oklahoma DHS, an agency she had worked for since Oct. 14, 2024.
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According to a court affidavit cited by The Oklahoman, Faison admitted to police that she used the internet to create fake documents with stamps from the Oklahoma County court clerk and a judge's forged signature.
Faison, who was in training and answered calls at the child welfare call center, wasn't authorized to do field work. Yet, according to the affidavit, she presented the child’s mother with the fake documents on Jan. 30 and threatened to call the police if the woman didn’t hand over her toddler.
The mother believed the documents Faison presented her were real and allowed the hotline worker to take the child into her custody. According to KOKH, the toddler’s mother was under the impression that Faison had planned to take the child to a cousin's home in Shawnee who is a foster-approved parent.
Authorities later learned that Faison had taken the toddler to her home in Oklahoma City instead of taking the girl to her relative's home. The police eventually detained Faison at her home on Feb. 2, and the child was taken to a foster home in Shawnee, according to an officer's statement in the affidavit.
“This former employee’s alleged actions are absolutely shameful and violate the core values of our agency,” DHS Director Jeffrey Cartmell said in a statement shared by The Oklahoman. “Let me be clear — there is zero tolerance for this kind of misconduct.”
"The safety and wellbeing of Oklahoma’s children is our highest priority, and we will act swiftly and decisively to uphold that commitment. While this is an isolated incident, we remain vigilant in ensuring the integrity of our workforce, and any employee who engages in such behavior will be immediately terminated.”
After the police detained Faison, they asked her if she "used her powers at DHS to help the mom and take the child," according to the affidavit. The former child welfare worker responded, “Yeah.”
On Jan. 31, Faison received an emergency protective order against the father of the child she’s accused of abducting, The Oklahoman reported. Faison claimed that the toddler had been placed in her care because the father had threatened to kill the child.
District Judge Kaitlyn Allen, vacated the order of protection, however. The judge noted that Faison took the child into her custody “under false pretenses and without a lawful court order.”
"The safety and wellbeing of the child in the care of parents is being assessed by law enforcement and the Department of Human Services,” the judge wrote.
As for the reason Faison took the child, police reported that the accused claimed to have received a call in November 2024 about taking custody of a girl unwanted by her mother. Police also reported that Faison claimed she took a referral call from the girl’s mother on Dec. 30, 2024, concerning possible abuse against the child committed by the father.
At the time of publicaiton, bail has not been set for Faison.
In a statement last Tuesday, DHS assured the public that it “holds its staff to very high standards, particularly in their application of state and federal laws designed to protect child safety.”
“Upon learning of this employee’s reported misconduct, the agency immediately notified law enforcement and is cooperating in its investigation,” the agency commented.
“In addition, the individual’s employment has been terminated, and the Department has begun its own internal inquiry. The Department is also working diligently to ensure the safety of everyone involved, most importantly any child impacted by these events. Our commitment to protecting Oklahoma’s children remains steadfast and uncompromising.”
