Episode 68: James Needs Justice

If you follow the podcast or the blog on social media, you’ve probably seen my many posts about two-year-old James Biel. I covered James’s story in episode 26 of this podcast, as well as in a detailed blog article in August of 2020. During a contentious custody battle between James’s mother, Kara Witkowski, and his father, Thomas Biel, Kara missed a court appearance due to an error on her attorney’s part, and in her absence, the judge granted Tom full custody. Three months later, James was brought to the hospital to be treated for a prolapsed rectum so severe that it required surgery and nine separate hospital admissions during that single month.Just weeks after that, shortly after James’s second birthday, James died under suspicious circumstances. The very next day, even before an autopsy was completed, the police department in Palatine, Illinois announced that foul play was not suspected. The state’s autopsy was inconclusive, but even after a second, independent autopsy revealed James died from an unexplained spinal cord injury, to date, no investigation has been opened into James’s death.Kara, however, is not allowing the death of her son to be brushed under the rug. In this episode, I’ll go over the updates to James’s story since episode 26 was released, and you’ll also hear my recent conversation with Kara, who refuses to be silent until James’s death is thoroughly investigated.This is the infuriating case of James Biel, revisited.Links discussed in today’s episode: Episode 26: James Biel: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/44665650Blog post: https://sufferthelittlechildrenblog.com/2020/08/15/james-biel/Petition: https://www.change.org/p/illinois-governor-palatine-police-department-opening-the-death-investigation-into-james-ryker-bielJustice for James Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JusticeForJames2/James Needs Justice Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/462067098336492Justice for James event page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/497934058080543Huge thanks to today’s sponsor:Smile Brilliant provides teeth whitening and oral care products customized just for you! Use my coupon code CHILDREN to save 30% by clicking here: https://www.smilebrilliant.com/?coupon=children#podcastPhotos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook and Instagram:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodYou can also follow the podcast on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sufferthelittlechildrenpodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/STLCpodTumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sufferthelittlechildrenpodPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@STLCpod My Linktree is available here: https://linktr.ee/stlcpod Visit the podcast's web page at https://www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com. Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts! (www.patreon.com/STLCpod) This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine. For more stories like this one, visit https://sufferthelittlechildrenblog.com.Music for this episode is from https://audiojungle.net. Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/id1499010711Google Podcasts: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5mx3lacxpdkhssmk2n22csf32u?t%3DSuffer_the_Little_Children%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-childrenPandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/PC:61848?part=PC:61848&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC61848:podcast_organic_external_siteSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w98Tpd3710BZ0u036T1KEiHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/77891101/ ...or on your favorite podcast listening platform.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children--4232884/support.If you see something, say something. https://childhelp.org