Dr Phil: Fractured Family Reunion + Daughters Abandoned in Foster Care

Dr Phil: Leaving Life in the Tunnels

Dr Phil continued a two-day exploration of a family torn apart. A mother was stripped of her children 20 years ago, and for the past two years, Cindy has been living underground in a homeless camp, set up in storm drainage tunnels under the city of Las Vegas. Now, Cindy and her husband Rick are Leaving Life in the Tunnels for a fractured family reunion.

With the help of The Locator, Troy Dunn, Dr Phil tracked Cindy down and Troy convinced her and Rick to return to Los Angeles and reunite with her daughters. They are angry about what has happened in the past, but they are ready to forgive her and reconnect.

Dr Phil: Daughters Abandoned in Foster Care

Amber, the oldest of four daughters, is 27. She said she is upset that her mother would live in a tunnel, angry that she abandoned the family, and sad that she missed out on so many great moments of motherhood through the years. Amber said the hardest part of growing up was not knowing what was happening to her sisters.

Atisha, the youngest daughter, now 22, has never even met her mother. She was taken away at birth, but has always wanted a chance to meet Cindy. Over the years, Atisha was moved among nine foster homes, while her sister Angela bounced around to 14 different families through the years.

Angela, 23, said she has had problems with feeling worthless, lacking adult supervision, and attempting to take care of her sister, despite a lack of basic resources, such as food and water. Dr Phil was horrified to hear the details of this family’s struggles.

Ashley, age 24, said she regrets missing out on pivotal moments growing up between a mother and daughter. But Ashley said she has had to let go of her anger and pain about the past.

Dr Phil: Fractured Family Reunion

Angela recalled her attempt to rescue her mother from the underground tunnel. She waited 11 hours for Cindy and Rick to come out of the tunnels, but eventually they backed out and Rick would not let Angela talk to her mother about their change of heart.

Troy Dunn told Dr Phil that he is concerned that Rick is enabling Cindy’s homelessness and will not let her move on with her life and reunite with her family. In most cases, Troy said that a mother would be fighting to get her daughters back, but this case is the reverse.

Dr Phil said he was humbled by the daughters and their commitment to holding their family together. He wanted to meet with Cindy privately before hosting a reunion with the entire family, for the first time in 12 years.