A Mother's Neglect Proves Fatal.
Infected with rabies from a bat bite, ten-year-old Shannon Carroll endured
a month long hospitalization and a medically induced coma before finally succumbing.
After her death, the question remained: was her mother to blame, for not seeking
medical attention sooner?
-date unknown
and Shannon (14 months).
-4th of July Vacation
Shannon's father Pat and his wife Jeannine had separated two years before the
young girl's ordeal, and he'd left their six children in her custody, never thinking
that any of them would be in danger.
But as Jeannine went through a string of deadbeat, ex-con boyfriends--one of whom
mysteriously ended up dead--and a variety of addictions, Pat could only stand by and
watch. With no support from the legal system, he was powerless to protect his kids from
their mother.
kitchen of the Portage, IN house
- Summer 2003 or 2004
backyard in the Portage, IN
house - Summer 2003 or 2004
Shannon's death was the culmination of Pat's parenting nightmare, but not the end of his story.
Since then, he has been on a crusade to rescue his remaining children from their mother's neglect
and prove that Jeannine--who has tried everything to cover up her own responsibility for the disaster--
was to blame for their tragic loss.
"Rabies Mom is a true story about my youngest sister's addiction to pain killers and the devastating
results it had on her family of 6 children. This led to over a 3 year ordeal that my brother-
in-law went through to gain custody of his children after the horrific death of his 10 year old daughter,
Shannon. The book deals with Jeannine's adultery which led to the suicide of a lover and a
love triangle that eventually led to the death of Shannon, who was caught in the wake of their marriage."
--Jack McGowan (co-author of Rabies Mom, co-founder of the Better Parent Foundation,
and brother to Jeannine McGowan)
Mom v. Dad: Are U.S. custody battles biased?
Father's rights activists push for fair treatment in U.S. courts
CHICAGO, Ill. – We often hear of custody battles pitting mothers against “deadbeat dads”—fathers who are either absent or abusive—but
what happens when the mother is an unfit guardian? The Administration of Children and Families says around 40 percent of child abuse
victims are maltreated by their mothers, versus only 18 percent by fathers. But according to two fathers’ rights advocates, the U.S.
court system continues to award children most easily and often to the mother, no matter what.
Pat Carroll has experienced the frustration of battling for his children firsthand. His new book, Rabies Mom (Arbor Books, April 2008)
recounts the heart-breaking true story of his quest to win custody of his children, during which time one of his daughters died from
rabies while in her mother’s care. Written with his brother-in-law, Jack McGowan, Rabies Mom brings to light the bias against fathers
in child custody cases.
“After the death of my daughter, I was getting nowhere with my attorney,” says Pat, who spent 30 years as a broker in the Chicago Stock
Exchange and today fights for fathers’ rights. “I began to write down everything that had transpired over the past three years so my new
lawyer would understand what he was dealing with. The story is so bizarre that, if I didn’t live it, I would think it was made up.”
After separating from his wife of 20 years and agreeing to joint custody of their six children, it soon became apparent to Pat and his
extended family that his wife was an unfit guardian. In 2006, his 10-year-old daughter, Shannon, fell ill while in her mother’s care and
died from rabies contracted from an untreated bat bite. She was the first human to contract rabies in Indiana since 1959 and the only
person in America to die of the disease that year.
With the help of his brother-in-law, Pat doubled his efforts to fight for his children in what he deems an inefficient and biased court
system. Finally, months after Shannon’s death, he obtained full custody of his remaining five children. Inspired by their experiences,
Jack and Pat created the Better Parent Foundation, Inc., to advocate for fathers’ rights in custody cases, push for better child custody
laws and provide more funding for schools and child protective services.
“The scales of justice are extremely imbalanced when it comes to custody cases,” says Jack. “The courts tend to favor the mother, no
matter what—even if it is obvious she is not a fit parent. With the Better Parent Foundation, we hope to change child custody laws so
children are always awarded to the better parent.”
Pat currently lives in Oak Lawn, Ill., near Chicago, where he continues to advocate fathers’ rights and to care for his children. Jack
resides in Livermore, Calif., with his wife, Elizabeth. For more information, visit www.thebetterparentfoundation.com.
