CALEDONIA, Mich — Six days after her son Rowan Morey's death, Brandi Morey-Pols is opening her heart, wanting to show the world who her son 6-year-old son was.
"I put my faith in God and to help our family at this time, because I know where he's at," said Brandi Morey-Pols.
"His little life has to mean something to help other children because this cannot keep going on," said Brandi.
Brandi shared custody of her son with his father, Michael Winchell. Last week Monday, Brandi was expecting her son to be dropped off by his father, who lived north in Isabella County.
After being late, she filed a complaint with the Isabella County Sheriff's Office, but it wasn't until Wednesday that first responders found both Rowan and Michael dead in a camper on Michael's property.
It is believed that Michael shot and killed his son before shooting himself.
"He had a window, which I believe most cases do. He was to meet me (at home) at 9 a.m., he had a half-hour leeway. Nothing had happened, so I called, I called for a wellness check."
She said that in the past, there have been concerns about Rowan's safety while at his fathers' house.
"There's been four times throughout Rowan's life that his father had shaved his head bald," said Brandi. "Another time was just before my oldest son's wedding that he was to be in, completely bald. The fourth time when he did it, he was coming home to me saying, 'Daddy sleeps all day. I only eat toast.' My oldest son said 'I dropped him off and said the house was disgusting', and then he shaved him."
Brandi's father-in-law, Jerry Pols, is calling for action to prevent tragedies like Rowan's from happening again.
"Only through concerted effort in systematic change," said Jerry, "can we hope to create a world where no child's life is cut short to the failures of our family court system."