When Diane Downs arrived at the hospital that night, she was calm—almost rehearsed. She spun a story of a stranger on a lonely road, a man who had stepped from the darkness and shattered her family in seconds.
When Diane Downs arrived at the hospital that night, she was calm—almost rehearsed. She spun a story of a stranger on a lonely road, a man who had stepped from the darkness and shattered her family in seconds. Doctors listened, but something felt wrong. Mothers who survive tragedies don’t behave this way. Diane smiled. She flirted. She complained about her own wound while her children fought for their lives. Little Cheryl was already gone. Christie and her brother Danny lay broken in neighboring beds, their bodies riddled with injuries no child should ever endure. Christie, only eight years old, slipped in and out of consciousness. When her condition worsened, Diane did something that stunned the medical staff—she asked them to let her daughter die. “Pull the plug,” she said flatly. The request froze the room. The doctors refused. Their instincts screamed that this woman was not protecting her child—she was trying to silence her. They moved quickly, convincing a judge...