The Cruel Irony: The Case of Desiray Kappes & The Flaws of Washington County, MN Child Protection Services

On May 19th, 2023, Desiray Kappes, a 14-year-old from Forest Lake, Minnesota, went missing. Like any concerned mother, Mandi took all necessary steps to find her missing daughter, raising public attention, alerting authorities, and spearheading a search mission. Fast forward two months, to July 21, 2023. On July 20th, 2023, I noticed from real time phone records that Desiray’s phone used about 60 mb of data. The first time the phone had used data or shown any activity since the day she went missing. T-Mobile confirmed that Desiray’s cell phone connected to a wifi router. 

Less than twelve hours later Mandi received the news: Desiray had been found. But the details? A curtain of secrecy, a mother left in the dark. Nothing short of cruel. Law enforcement and Washington County, MN Child Protective Services, notably counselor Leigh Yanish, seemed to have something to hide. Maybe the fact they relied upon, and continue to rely upon, witness statements from Shawn Bellach, the charged felon that had Desiray the entire time, the person that groomed her and lured her out of the house. They worked side by side with the actual abductor to justify an ex parte petition for protective order they filed a month before Desiray was found. Since the Washington County MN Department of Children Services failed to uphold their duty of care they owed Desiray and her parents, I was able to get answers for her mother regarding the circumstances of her daughter's disappearance, where she was found, and with whom. To say those details are shocking is a great understatement. I learned  that Desiray was found with 36-year-old Shawn Bellach - her mother Mandi's ex-boyfriend. The circumstances were chilling: a grown man and a young girl living together in Grasston, MN, sharing not a home but a tent. All the while, this was happening on the property of Robert Andrew Dawson and Rose Dawson, who admitted to knowing Desiray's status as a missing person but allowed the illicit duo to continue. Robert and Rose Dawson even provided power from the main house to the tent. Desiray and the child molester Shawn Bellach appear to have had full access to the home because when Desiray was located by law enforcement she was inside the house.

       Here is Shawn’s facebook page. Feel free to leave him a comment to read for when he gets released from jail.

The revelations don't stop there. Shawn Bellach, amidst grooming and almost certainly sexually abusing Desiray, had the audacity to approach the Forest Lake Police on May 26th to criticize Mandi's parenting. Keep in mind he walked into the police station, made false claims, while he already had Desiray who was entered into NCIC as a missing juvenile. Shawn Bellach boasted to law enforcement of teaching Desiray how to live as a homeless person and eat through dumpster diving and sleep in abandoned buildings.. Instead of arresting him then, he was allowed to walk free, armed with information he fed to the very authorities that should have protected Desiray.

However, the darkest twist in this tale isn’t just Bellach's actions. It's the disturbing involvement, or rather the glaring lack of it, of the Washington County Community Services Child Protection. The very department entrusted with safeguarding our children took Bellach's side, relying on statements he made while actively harboring a minor. And now, even after Desiray's ordeal has come to light, the department and their counselor, Leigh Yanish, remain adamant in their biased stance, using Bellach's words to further torment Mandi.

The Assistant County Attorney of Washington County, Tricia Loehr, attempted to rectify a significant oversight. In her original ex parte emergency protective order filed a month prior to Desiray's discovery, she cited various allegations against Mandi. These claims were heavily based on the testimony of Shawn Bellach, who later turned out to be the very individual responsible for Desiray's disappearance. Upon realizing the gravity of her error and the lack of proper investigation into Bellach's statements, Attorney Loehr amended the complaint. The updated document cited "runaway" as the sole reason for needing the EPO. Despite this correction, CPS continues to withhold vital information from Mandi and maintains an ongoing investigation into her. Alarmingly, their scrutiny now extends to Mandi's parenting of her younger, five-year-old child.

The department at the request of Leigh Yanish, who at the time of filing had never met Desiray and to this date has never met or interviewed her mother Mandi, filed a CHIP petition to remove Desiray from her home. Ripping her away from her mother, father, five year old sister, and grandparents. The only reasonable explanation is that the Department, Leigh Yanish, and the Assistant County Attorney, Tricia Loeher, (who filed the emergency protective order based on the abductors statements) are doing this out of embarrassment and to try to save face after completely botching this case.

The Child Protection’s website, here, showcases its lofty goals and principles. Yet, in practice, the department appears to wield its power mercilessly, often at the expense of the very children they are meant to protect. This isn’t the first time they’ve been in the spotlight for questionable actions, but it's time for real scrutiny.

Let's step back and look at the bigger picture:

• A 14-year-old was groomed, likely sexually assaulted, and kidnapped.

• The perpetrator, Shawn Bellach, only faces a single charge, with no mention of his potential sexual crimes.

• The very department that should champion the welfare of children is relying on a kidnapper's statements to mount an aggressive campaign against a distraught mother.

• They knowingly and willfully violate the statutes regarding parental rights to notification, discovery disclosure, and more.

• The Assistant County Attorney is violating law signing verified complaints she knows are fraudulent.

In an era where public trust in authorities is wavering, such actions only deepen the chasm of mistrust. The Washington County Community Services Child Protection needs to reflect, reform, and redeem themselves. For now, they remain emblematic of a system that sometimes, sadly, fails those it pledges to protect.

I've been in the private investigation field for years, and I often deal with situations that aren't always clear-cut. However, the level of disregard for standard procedures here is concerning. Minnesota statutes clearly state that when an EPO or CHIPS petition is filed, the involved parents must be furnished with copies of reports and other relevant discovery documents. This legal provision is about transparency and ensuring that parents are not kept in the dark. But in this scenario, Mandi had to rely on outside sources – specifically, investigative efforts on my part – just to obtain this critical information.

The Washington County Community Services Child Protection's behavior raises several questions about their due diligence and care for the children they are meant to protect. Why was Mandi, a parent in distress, not provided the information she was legally entitled to? Why did the department rely so heavily on statements from Bellach, especially given his evident conflict of interest?

It's not about assigning blame blindly, but about accountability. This case highlights  lapses in judgment, clear abuse of power and authority and action that deserve scrutiny. For the sake of children and families in Washington County, there's a pressing need for a review of and reflection on the agency's processes. It's essential that confidence in the institution is restored and that families can trust they are genuinely acting in the best interests of the children.