About this episode

Brandi Morey-Pols shares her tragic story of losing her son Rowan to filicide and discusses the systemic failures that contributed to this loss.

Brandi Morey-Pols shares the story of her six-year-old son, Rowan, who was murdered by his biological father just days before a custody hearing that she hoped would finally bring him to safety. She recounts years of coercive control, stalking, emotional abuse, repeated warnings that went unheard, and the devastating failures of multiple systems that left Rowan unprotected despite mounting evidence and escalating concerns. Brandi and Chell explore what happens when coercive control is dismissed, warning signs are overlooked, and systems fail to recognize the danger children can face during custody disputes. Brandi also shares how honoring Rowan's life has become her purpose through the Rowan Project and Rowan's Promise, advocating for greater awareness of filicide, stronger protections for children, and legislative change aimed at preventing other families from experiencing the same unimaginable loss. Brandi’s Links: https://www.instagram.com/dollbb55 https://therowanproject.org/ https://www.facebook.com/brandi.brennan.3 Resources: The Rowan Project - List of Resources https://therowanproject.org/?page_id=1989 Crisis Text Line 741741 National Domestic Violence Hotline…

People in this episode

Host: Chell Bane

Guest: Brandi Morey-Pols

Topics covered

• filicide
• coercive control
• custody disputes
• emotional abuse
• child protection
• advocacy

Keywords

• filicide
• coercive control
• custody hearing
• emotional abuse
• child safety
• advocacy
• Rowan Project

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Rowan Project, Crisis Text Line, National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Child Abuse Hotline

More episodes of Beyond the Monsters

• 99: Being Starved, Abused, and Nearly Killed by His Foster Mom · September 9, 2026 · 1h 43m
• 98: Surviving a Suicide Attempt by Gunshot · September 2, 2026 · 57 min
• 97: Kidnapped in Broad Daylight & Repeatedly Raped at 19 · August 26, 2026 · 46 min
• 96: Being SAed at 7 and Again While Addicted to Meth at 14 · August 19, 2026 · 1h 14m
• 95: Growing Up With Parents Struggling With Addiction and Dissociative Identity Disorder · August 12, 2026 · 1h 9m
• 94: Her Mom was Murdered by Her Ex-Boyfriend · August 5, 2026 · 37 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Beyond the Monsters podcast page.