Siblings Shot By Suicidal Mother Begin Therapy Boy, Sister Leave Florida For Rehabilitation In Ohio

A sister and brother shot three weeks ago by their despondent mother were whisked from Orlando by ambulance and airplane Wednesday for rehabilitation at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati.

Security guards at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women in Orlando tried to keep photographers and onlookers at bay as Jessica and Adam Fowler, accompanied by relatives, a nurse and a therapist, were driven from the hospital in downtown Orlando.

But an entourage of reporters awaited the family when the plane touched down in Ohio.

“It has been such a wild day,” said Jim Feuer, a spokesman for the Cincinnati hospital. “All of the local reporters found out they were coming, so they found the family at the airport.”

He said the Fowler children are getting settled in and it is not yet known whether they will share a room as they had in Orlando.

Their care will be overseen by Dr. Douglas Kinnett, a specialist in pediatric rehabilitation at Children’s Hospital and a professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati.

Feuer noted that the children flew from Orlando on a commercial airline, an indication they are in good shape.

Their father, Richard Fowler, went to great lengths to shield himself and his children from reporters in Florida.

He drove away from the hospital Wednesday morning in a rental car, leaving behind a prepared statement for Arnold Palmer officials to read.

“Jessica and Adam have departed from Arnold Palmer Hospital today,” he wrote, “and will begin their physical therapy in Cincinnati, Ohio. I would like to thank Central Florida for their love and caring.”

Jessica, 13, and Adam, 11, were shot Jan. 12 in their Orlando home by their suicidal mother, who opened fire on them with a .357 Magnum revolver before shooting herself. The children, paralyzed from their wounds, survived in the house for five days before they were discovered.