Pictured here are Matthew and Tuckey Hernandez with their daughters, Emma and Arya. In June 2022, when Emma was just shy of three months old, her parents noticed concerning symptoms and sought medical care. What should have been a search for answers instead led to a nightmare: false accusations of child abuse by Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Their family was suddenly torn apart.
The girls were initially placed with their aunt and uncle while juvenile court proceedings began. Soon after, Tuckey was arrested on unsupported criminal charges. About a month later, Emma developed new symptoms while in her relatives’ care. Instead of support, DFCS and CHOA launched another abuse investigation against the aunt and uncle, removing the girls and placing them with strangers in foster care.
Months later, with Matthew’s unwavering support for his wife and continued lack of evidence, he too was criminally charged and turned himself in. For 10 months, Tuckey’s bond conditions even prohibited contact with her husband, forcing her to leave their home and rely on the kindness of friends for housing.
The girls endured a heartbreaking year of being shuffled between multiple foster homes, suffering tearful separations after supervised visits. In June 2023, the juvenile case finally allowed Emma and Arya to return to their aunt and uncle’s care. The criminal case dragged on much longer and for two years, Matthew and Tuckey had almost no access to their daughters - limited to brief, third-party supervised visitations.
In May 2025, a jury delivered a verdict of Not Guilty in the parents' criminal case and in June, after 2 years of fighting, the girls were finally allowed to return home and the family reunited.
The financial toll was devastating - attorney fees, bonds, expert witnesses, laboratory tests, court transcripts, required classes, and more exceeded $150,000. On top of this, the parents were ordered to pay $3,600 per month in court-ordered visitations, therapy for Arya, couples counseling, and child support.
Now, April 2026, even after their legal victory and joyous reunion, the Hernandez family is relocating to live with extended family in Thailand. The enormous financial burden has left them unable to afford their home and life in the United States.
