A bad fight with a preteen is supposed to blow over. It is not supposed to end with two daughters taken into foster care, years of court battles, and a family still living apart long after the original abuse claims were closed.
That is the nightmare Daniel and Bianca Samson say they are living in Sweden.
The Romanian couple says their two oldest daughters were removed in December 2022 after one of the girls made abuse allegations at school during what the family describes as a conflict over makeup and having a smartphone. According to the parents and the advocacy group ADF International, the girl later recanted those claims, and the abuse case was eventually closed. But the girls still were not returned home.
They Say the Case Stopped Being About Abuse and Turned Into Something Else
That is what makes this story so disturbing.
According to the family’s account, they initially agreed to temporary foster care while the investigation played out. The expectation seems to have been simple: let the authorities look into it, clear things up, and then bring the girls home.
But that is not what happened.
Instead, the parents say Swedish child protective services began pointing to other parts of their family life, including not allowing the girls to wear makeup or have phones and the family’s frequent church attendance. According to the material shared by ADF International, those issues were used to label the couple “religious extremists.”
That shift is the center of the family’s outrage.
Because from their point of view, the state moved from investigating abuse allegations to judging the way they parent and practice their faith.
The Girls Have Been Apart, and the Family Says the Damage Is Growing
The two sisters have reportedly been placed in separate foster homes since June 2023 and are living far from each other. Their parents are currently allowed one visit per month.
That alone would be devastating for most families. But the parents and ADF say the consequences have become even more serious than separation.
According to the source you shared, both girls have allegedly attempted suicide, and one of them is reportedly dealing with severe physical and mental health struggles while in state care.
That is the part that makes this story hit hardest. Whatever someone thinks about the larger legal fight, the human cost here sounds crushing. Two parents say they have been cleared of abuse, completed required parenting training, and still cannot bring their daughters home. Meanwhile, they believe the girls are getting worse, not better.
The Legal Road May Be Closing
The family has spent years trying to reverse what happened.
Between January and June 2024, the parents were required to complete parenting training, and according to the source, the therapists overseeing it concluded they were capable parents. Even then, their daughters were not returned.
Now, the case has taken another painful turn. In March 2026, the European Court of Human Rights reportedly ruled the family’s case inadmissible, which the source says makes the decision final.
That is why this story feels so bleak.
For the Samsons, this is no longer just about proving they are fit parents. It is about whether there is any path left to reunite their family at all. And after more than three years apart, that may be the hardest part to process: not just that they lost their daughters to the system, but that even after the original accusations were closed, they still have not gotten them back.
More from Decluttering Mom:
