MIAMI – For a little while now, Catalina Bruno has had limited supervised visits with her other two children after a fatal mistake she made two years ago.
But now a family court judge is tripling the amount of time per week she gets with her children, and the only person allowed in the room with her besides her kids will be her own mother. That is angering one side of the family.
"It's the kids I'm thinking about, that I'm worried about," said Beryl Lakhram, the children's paternal grandmother.
Bruno's kids are now 6 and 12 years old, and they've been living with their paternal grandparents in southwest Miami-Dade County ever since their mom left her baby in a car two years ago.
The baby, Bryan Osceola, died after being left in the back seat of the family's sweltering car. Bruno was arrested and charged with manslaughter. She served a year in prison in a plea deal.
At least one of the surviving siblings said she still has nightmares.
"She says, 'Grandma, I'm scared,'" Bekhram said. "I say, 'Why?' She said she dreamed (about) Amos and her mom."
Amos Osceola, the biological father of the dead toddler, died a year later in car wreck.
Bruno's case has highlighted flaws in the Department of Children and Families system and led to the firing of case worker Shani Smith, who is accused of falsifying records in the case.
Since then, Bruno has been released from jail, has been in rehab and is now petitioning court for custodial rights of her two children.
"I'm worried to death, just because of the possibility of them being -- even the thought of her having custody of them worries me to death," said Anand Lakhram, the father of the surviving children.
Anand Lakhram, who is often on the road as a truck driver, said he is especially upset because a judge granted Bruno six hours a week with the kids and appointed Bruno's mom to supervise those visits.
"It is a conflict of interest," Anand said. "As a father, I'm just trying to protect them from that. I mean, I'm limited because of the courts."
"The reality is (that) it's only a matter of time before Catalina is allowed to see her kids all the time," Bruno's attorney, Lonnie Richardson, said.
Bruno's attorney said Florida law is not designed to keep a mother from seeing her kids if consistent efforts are made. Richardson said he sees the familial supervision as an added bonus.
"I think it's perfect for the situation, because her mother is neutral in the sense that she cares about the child, she's had no problems with the law, she's employed, she's a stable person in the community and she's going to look after the interest of the child," Richardson said.
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