Children Who Survived Hash Oil Explosion At Home Officially Adopted By Grandparents
By Jeff Todd
DENVER (CBS4) - At National Adoption Day inside the Jefferson County Courthouse there were dozens of special stories of families becoming whole. The Wylie family barely got their paperwork done and case approved before the ceremony on Saturday morning.
"I don't want them in foster care. I want to be the ones that take care of them. Rob and I do. They're our grandchildren," said Dana Wylie, "The past year-and-a-half has been a long journey."
5-year-old Brayden and his younger sister Brooklyn were taken from their parents in April 2014 after a hash oil explosion inside their Lakewood apartment. The kids' biological father, Corbin Braithwaite, is serving a four-year sentence for child abuse, arson, and drug possession.
The county also revoked parental rights from the kids' mother.
"It's probably one of the greatest days of my life," said Robert Wylie, who the kids call Papa. "There's a light in them that's just wonderful."
We first met the Wylie family at a West Metro Fire Station when Brayden got a chance to meet with the firefighters who responded to the explosion at his home. It was part of his therapy after dealing with nightmares from the incident.
"Adoption day is really special because I get adopted," Brayden told the judge during the adoption hearing.
He was most excited to get his face painted then head home for the party. "I'm going to go to a party and my Mema (Dana) has a special cake that looks like a caterpillar," Brayden said.
"We just have nothing but love in the family. There's just something special about the kids," said Robert.
But Brayden knew he wasn't the only special kid at the courthouse that day.
He also told the judge, "I just want to say thank you for all of the kids that got adopted today."
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
