The Owner of A & J Lab Collections 36-year-old Brandy Murrah has been arrested and charged with two counts of forgery after two women lost custody of their children to the CPS foster system after falsified drug tests showed they had methamphetamine in their system.
Police say they believe Murrah profited somehow from falsifying the reports, but have not yet revealed specifics.
“Both of these ladies went to independent drug testing facilities and medical clinics and got more drug testing done and all of it was negative,” Adam Jones, the attorney representing the women told. WTVY on Thursday.
While the two women may have been vindicated for the results of their drug tests, they still do not have custody of their kids who were placed in the foster care system.
Prosecutors say more charges are expected against the owner as investigators scramble to determine exactly how many people lost custody of their children.
Authorities fear this is just the tip of the iceberg and expect to find a ‘tidal wave’ of botched CPS foster care cases, where children were taken from their parents and placed in custody of the state.
Murray secured a contract with the Department of Human Resources Dependency court to perform paternity and drug tests on individuals involved in child custody cases or dependency (CPS) court — even though she was arrested in 2013 and found guilty of five counts of credit card fraud.
She was still somehow placed in charge of handling sensitive screenings that determined the futures of children and families.
“We have no idea at this time how many people did not get their children back because of Ms. Murrah’s alleged fraudulent reports,” Dale County Attorney Kirke Adams told the Dothan Eagle.
“In my opinion, all cases affected by Murrah’s alleged actions must be redone in order to be fair.”
An investigation into Murrah began on May 2 after someone’s drug screening tested positive, which had a signature on the test results.
When the victim called the physician who supposedly signed the paper work, the doctor did not recall signing any drug test for A & J Lab Collections or Murrah.
Now, law enforcement and court officials are sifting through hundreds of tests that Murrah’s company performed each month to determine just how many were falsified.
“We expect a lot,” Adams said.
“I anticipate the tidal wave is just building as far as ramifications.”
Murrah is free from jail on a $2,000 bond.
Read the class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the first two victims below.
