NEWS / MO woman spends 5 years trying to get her nameless grandson a name and a birth certificate

A Missouri woman spent over 5 years trying to obtain a birth certificate for her grandson, who had been born under chaotic circumstances in which the boy’s mother passed away and the hospital failed to file the necessary paperwork for the state to issue a birth certificate. The boy therefore did not legally have a name and was denied basic services, such as school and daycare, as, from the point of view of the state, the boy did not exist “on paper”.

The ordeal began on Christmas Eve in 2017, when Benita Brown’s pregnant daughter Roneisha Calvin got into a horrific car accident that resulted in her death. However, doctors were able to perform a C-section to save Roneisha’s son, but in the chaos of the night, the hospital did not correctly file paperwork to record the baby boy’s birth.

Benita Brown assumed custody of the boy after her daughter’s death, but she quickly encountered numerous legal roadblocks due to the state’s inability to issue a birth certificate for the boy.

"It was like doors were closing, closing, closing, closing,” Brown was quoted by KSDK 5 On Your Side as saying, “My determination was for my grandson to have a name. He walked around for five years basically as a ghost."

With no record of her grandson’s existence on paper, Brown was unable to enroll her grandson in school or daycare.

Brown then set out on a 5-year odyssey to get her son to be viewed as a real person in the eyes of the state. She made it a habit to visit the Recorder of Deeds office at St. Louis City Hall to get the necessary paperwork filed to get her grandson’s birth certificate, which, in essence, was also the evidence she needed to prove that he existed. Brown became friends with Assistant Supervisor of the Recorder’s Assistant Center Aunya Hall.

“You don't give up on somebody so determined. So I saw her determination and I wanted to give her mine,” Hall stated, “I'm here to make sure everything goes smoothly, that they have somebody to turn to.”

Finally, over 5 years after her grandson’s birth, Brown was finally able to get him his birth certificate with the name “Ra’Sean”. In the eyes of the state, Ra’Sean can now go to school and enroll in other activities most people take for granted.

A&M Logos International is happy Benita Brown’s perseverance paid off, but also dismayed that the situation could have happened in the first place. We are here to assist with the retrieval of birth certificates and other vital records for use abroad. We will make sure to retrieve and apostille (or authenticate) them as quickly as possible. Call us today at (212) 233-7061 or e-mail us at info@apostille.us. You may also wish to check out our website.