I want to get custody of my twin sisters

[sydneywood]

Jurisdiction

Illinois

My twin sisters were born when I was 12 years old and I have raised them their whole lives. My mom finally lost custody of all of my siblings about 2 years ago, because I was taking care of all of them, not her (there's 8 of us). When I decided to get DCF's involved I figured they would put each of us in safe homes but instead my twin sisters were sent to live with their abusive dad. I know he is abusive, not only because I have countless pictures of bruises along with stories about their abuse, but that is the exact reason my mom left him years ago. To be more specific, he choked my younger brother when was 6 or 7 and pushed my mom to the ground when she was pregnant with the twins. I have no doubt in my mind that he is abusive.

My mom fully lost all parental rights to the twin when she didn't show up to the court date in July of this year. My whole family was devastated and we are only allowed to see them once every month or less. My mom is currently working to get the twins back BUT she has no lawyer, is still careless when it comes to parenting, and still abuses pills. The twins dad currently lives an hour away in an unknown location and has about 5 warrants for his arrest. He doesn't have a drivers licenses and he was recently fired from his job where he stole $1000+ worth of tools. He is looking to 5-10 years in jail once he is caught but no one knows of his whereabouts. The only time we know exactly where he is when we see the twins once a month.

Now, when my siblings were put into foster care I was not old enough to take any of them. I am 19 now, about to be 20. My girlfriend and I are currently in the middle of a lawsuit (completely unrelated) that we will be rewarded a minimum of 20k. We plan to put a down payment on a house and getting a lawyer to fight for custody of the twins. We both have stable jobs, with plenty of extra money to support the two. DCFS is aware that I was the one that was taking care of them and any of my family will say the same. Do I have any chance of gaining custody of them?

 

[army judge]

Custody of chidren is a very lengthy and expensive process.

If I answered about your ability to obtain custody I'd be guessing.

If you're serious about trying, hire a lawyer and instruct her to proceed with the custody matter on your behalf.

 

[ElleMD]

First of all, there is no "we" here. Legal custody of two 12 year olds is unlikely if you are only 19, but a court is not going to award custody to a 19 year old and a girlfriend. If you have reason to believe that the kids are being abused, contact DCFS. Custody is going to take years if at all, and if you care about these kids, do not leave them in a dangerous environment while you get your ducks in a row.

Not your state but I have a friend who did this successfully. He was married, older, an elected official (read- stable, established, knew the law), and it still took 6 years.

 

[zddoodah]

my twin sisters were sent to live with their abusive dad.

Their dad? Are these half-siblings?

The twins dad currently lives . . . in an unknown location. . . . [N]o one knows of his whereabouts.

Well...someone must know. You told us that DCFS placed the kids with him, and it's unlikely that happened without DCFS having an address. And you apparently know enough to know that he "lives an hour away." What about his former employer?

The only time we know exactly where he is when we see the twins once a month.

Well...jeez. If you see the kids regularly, why not coordinate with law enforcement to have him arrested on the many warrants next time you see them? Or maybe hire a private investigator to follow him when he returns home after the next meeting?

Do I have any chance of gaining custody of them?

There's no way anyone can intelligently tell you with absolutely certainty that you have no chance, so the answer is necessarily yes. The only way to get a reliable assessment of your chances is to consult with a local attorney.