Grandparents, Foster Family Fight For Custody Of 5-Year-Old Girl

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The paternal grandparents and the foster parents of a 5-year-old girl are in the midst of a painful custody battle.

Daniel and Carol Vos said the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) removed their granddaughter from her drug-addicted mother and placed her with a foster family in 2011.

The pair claims they were never notified the child was taken from her home.

"I was like, 'What do you mean who am I? Where's my granddaughter? You have my granddaughter, how come we weren't contacted?'" said Carol. "She said, 'It's not my job to contact you.'"

It took the Vos family more than a month to track down their granddaughter, but the fight to bring her home was just beginning.

"Nothing's happening. We have been here all this time and nothing is happening. What the heck?" cried Carol.

The family hired an attorney and filed a claim against DCFS. They allege a social worker failed to file critical paperwork that likely caused them to lose their granddaughter to the foster family, who now want to adopt the girl.

Carol said every day without her beloved granddaughter brings new fears to the family.

"(We were told) that because she has bonded with the other family… that we can't have her," she said. "This is somebody that has been with us since day one."

DCFS officials told CBS2's Stacey Butler they couldn't answer questions about the case because of confidentiality reasons.

Butler was unable to get in touch with the foster family's attorney.