The Garland County sheriff's office released a statement Tuesday addressing media coverage of the department's removal of children from a Hot Springs home.
"There have been a number of reports in various media outlets the decision was made to remove the minor children from the residence based on one contributing factor of a chemical known as 'MMS' or 'Miracle Mineral Supplement.' This is absolutely false, as there were a number of different factors and investigators felt they had no choice but to intervene in the best interest of the minor children," Garland County sheriff's office spokesman Scott Hinojosa said in a news release.
Hinojosa said deputies responded to allegations of child abuse from two concerned residents who are close to the family on Jan. 9.
Deputies, along with Arkansas State Police, investigated the home, located at 815 Treasure Isle Road, and determined it was in the best interest of the children to remove them from the home, pursuant to the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Act, Hinojosa said.
Hinojosa said that no other information is available at this time because of the ongoing investigation and to protect the minor children involved in the case.
See Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.