Kaitlyn's Baby | Episode 5: It gets worse

Summary

The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby
Episode 5: It Gets Worse
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Produced by CBC and BBC World Service

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Introduction

In Episode 5, titled "It Gets Worse," of The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby, host Sarah Treleaven delves deeper into the intricate web of deception spun by Kaitlyn Braun, a licensed social worker whose actions have left a trail of devastation among those she was meant to help. This episode uncovers the escalating consequences of Kaitlyn's manipulations, particularly focusing on the false allegations against Nadia's son and the systemic failures that allowed Kaitlyn's deceit to flourish.

Kaitlyn Braun: From Graduate to Manipulator

Kaitlyn Braun graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Social Work in 2020, a program renowned for preparing graduates to support vulnerable populations. Her social media profiles, including those of her and her mother, painted a picture of a dedicated professional ready to make a positive impact. However, beneath this facade, Kaitlyn was orchestrating a series of manipulative and deceitful acts.

Steve Patterson [01:39]: "I don't know where it stemmed from, but I feel like she really, she liked to be needed."

Kaitlyn's expertise in social work provided her with both the knowledge and the trustworthiness to exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly doulas who were providing support during her pregnancy. Starting in June 2022, Kaitlyn began deceiving doulas with fabricated stories of personal trauma, including rape, baby loss, and being in a coma.

Denitha Breaux [10:08]: "So this member is a social work registrant and in mid-2022 to about mid-2023, conduct that this individual engaged in was brought to the college's attention."

Nadia's Ordeal: A False Allegation

One of the most harrowing accounts comes from Nadia, a First Nations woman whose son became entangled in Kaitlyn's deceit. In June 2022, Kaitlyn falsely accused Nadia's son of sexual assault, leading to a deeply distressing investigation that ultimately found no wrongdoing on his part.

Nadia [04:04]: "I got the call from my son's dad and he said, hey, like, the situation just came up. My son had been accused of, like, sexual assault, sexual harassment. And he couldn't even finish, like, he was so upset. And I was like, what? What are you talking about?"

Upon reviewing security footage spanning three days, the police determined that the allegations were unfounded, revealing that the only interaction between Nadia's son and Kaitlyn was a benign high-five in a hallway.

Nadia [05:23]: "The police came in, grabbed all of their video footage, went through, I don't know, it was like three days worth of video."

Despite being cleared, the emotional toll on Nadia and her family was immense. The realization that Kaitlyn could fabricate such serious allegations meant that others might also be susceptible to false accusations.

Nadia [08:02]: "I was wondering maybe if we did go through with it, if that would be another charge to keep her in jail, possibly, I don't know. Or if my son's story came out, would other people come forward?"

Regulatory Response: Ontario College of Social Workers

The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers faced scrutiny over its handling of the complaints against Kaitlyn. Doulas and other professionals had submitted reports detailing Kaitlyn's deceitful conduct, yet many felt their concerns were not adequately addressed until her arrest.

Denitha Breaux [10:21]: "It was related to deceitful, misleading and dishonest conduct."

When pressed about the delays and perceived inaction, Denitha Breaux, CEO of the regulatory body, acknowledged the severity of the situation but cited limitations within their regulatory framework.

Denitha Breaux [11:38]: "This case was so different from anything that we would normally have seen."

Following Kaitlyn's arrest, her license to practice social work was temporarily suspended. The College indicated that a disciplinary panel would evaluate the case, considering factors such as public safety and the severity of her actions.

Denitha Breaux [12:16]: "At that point in time, we're not the decision maker. Discipline panel will decide what the outcome would be and all of those terms, conditions, suspensions, revocation, are available outcomes to that discipline panel."

Legal Proceedings: Kaitlyn's Guilty Plea

As the legal repercussions unfolded, Kaitlyn faced a barrage of charges, culminating in a guilty plea in December 2023. The courtroom proceedings revealed the breadth of her misconduct, with 21 charges filed against her, including public mischief and indecent acts.

Steve Patterson [14:28]: "Here in this nondescript courtroom in the small Ontario city of Brantford, the court clerk reads out the long list of charges."

Kaitlyn's decision to plead guilty marked only the beginning of her legal struggles, as the court grappled with appropriate sentencing. Nadia expressed a desire for a sentence severe enough to prevent Kaitlyn from harming others in the future.

Nadia [15:37]: "So the ideal for sentencing for me would be, like, locking her up long enough that she can't do this anymore. Like, to the point where, like, she's 50 and obviously can't pass as a pregnant woman."

Systemic Implications and Reflections

The episode underscores significant systemic issues, particularly the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in social services—a legacy of historical colonization. Kaitlyn's ability to exploit and manipulate within this framework raises critical questions about oversight, accountability, and the protection of vulnerable communities.

Steve Patterson [05:52]: "In Canada, there's an over representation of indigenous people who need access to social services. This stems from a long history of colonization going back hundreds of years."

Furthermore, the case highlights the challenges faced by regulatory bodies in swiftly addressing misconduct and protecting both professionals and those they serve.

Conclusion and Looking Forward

Episode 5, "It Gets Worse," paints a poignant and distressing picture of Kaitlyn Braun's manipulation and the far-reaching impacts of her deceit. As legal proceedings continue, the episode leaves listeners pondering the efficacy of current systems in preventing such abuses of trust and the broader implications for social work and vulnerable communities.

Steve Patterson [16:06]: "We made numerous attempts to contact Kaitlin Braun, outlining the allegations made through the series and inviting her to respond to what has been said. She made it clear to me that she didn't want to be involved with the podcast."

As the series progresses, listeners can anticipate further revelations and analyses in the subsequent episodes, unraveling the full extent of Kaitlyn's cons and the quest for truth and justice by those affected.

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Notable Quotes

• Steve Patterson [01:39]: "I don't know where it stemmed from, but I feel like she really, she liked to be needed."

• Nadia [04:04]: "I got the call from my son's dad and he said, hey, like, the situation just came up. My son had been accused of, like, sexual assault, sexual harassment. And he couldn't even finish, like, he was so upset. And I was like, what? What are you talking about?"

• Denitha Breaux [10:21]: "It was related to deceitful, misleading and dishonest conduct."

• Nadia [08:02]: "I was wondering maybe if we did go through with it, if that would be another charge to keep her in jail, possibly, I don't know. Or if my son's story came out, would other people come forward?"

• Denitha Breaux [11:38]: "This case was so different from anything that we would normally have seen."

• Nadia [15:37]: "So the ideal for sentencing for me would be, like, locking her up long enough that she can't do this anymore. Like, to the point where, like, she's 50 and obviously can't pass as a pregnant woman."

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Production Credits

• Written, Researched, and Produced by: Sarah Treleaven, Kathleen Goldhar
• Extra Production Support: Andrew Friesen, Alexis Green
• Sound Design and Scoring: Mitchell Stewart
• Digital Coordinating Producer: Emily Quinnell
• Senior Producer: Veronica Simmons
• Fact Checker: Emily Mathieu
• Executive Producers: Cecil Fernandez, Chris Oak
• Senior Manager: Tanya Springer
• Director of CBC Podcasts for the BBC World Service: Arif Narrani
• Senior Producer: Cat Collins
• Podcast Commissioning Editor: John Mennell

The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby is a collaborative production by CBC and the BBC World Service, continuing the acclaimed tradition of uncovering the depths of deception in human interactions.

Transcript

[Nadia]

Are peanuts more precious than pretzels?

[Steve Patterson]

Is glue more glorious than tape? Hi, I'm Steve Patterson, host of CBC's the Debaters, where Canada's top comedic minds make seemingly simple questions into something simply hilarious.

[Nadia]

Part stand up, part game show, always fun. And our live audience picks the winner.

[Steve Patterson]

You can find the debaters on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts, a BBC World Service and CBC podcast production a this episode references sexual assault. Wilfrid Laurier University, named after Canada's seventh prime minister, has a Latin Veritas omnia vincit. Truth conquers all. Its faculty of social work has been educating and mentoring prospective social workers since 1966. And every year, new graduates enter the workforce ready to help vulnerable people make their lives better. In 2020, one of those graduates was Kaitlin Braun. That's right. Kaitlin Braun was a licensed social worker at the time of her arrest. If you scroll back through Kaitlin's mother's Facebook page, there are pictures of her daughter in her cap and gown. And Caitlin has also posted to her own social media, standing proudly with her fellow graduates in front of a massive sign on campus that reads inspiring lives.

[Nadia]

I don't know where it stemmed from, but I feel like she really, she liked to be needed.

[Steve Patterson]

With her degree in hand, Caitlin worked with youth in crisis and women seeking shelter. Azia, Caitlin's childhood friend, remembers Caitlin telling her harrowing stories, stories that she now wonders if they were even true.

[Nadia]

She was working for this halfway house and this one guy was really dangerous and locked her in his apartment and held her at knifepoint. And I remember, I was like, how are you doing that job? Like that is crazy to me, how you can get up and go back to work.

[Steve Patterson]

According to the criminal charges, the first known instance of Caitlyn lying to a Doula was in June 2022. So while she was working with vulnerable people, she was also manipulating unsuspecting doulas through devastating narratives. This is the part that's frustrating to me. This person was working with vulnerable community. She was working in the indigenous community.

[Denitha Breaux]

She was working with children.

[Steve Patterson]

This, again, is Amy Silva, the doula who made that first TikTok about Caitlyn. She believes that social work gave Caitlyn cover the appearance of respectability and trustworthiness. I think there's a reason she went into social work, because she could do it with vulnerable people who, like, nobody's going to believe them that she's doing these things to them. Exactly how far Caitlyn had gone, how far she might be willing to go. It was a question many of us who knew her story were asking. And then one day I got a call that made me realize she had gone even further than I ever imagined. For CBC and the BBC World Service, I'm Sarah Trelevin, and this is the Caitlyn's Baby Episode 5 It gets worse.

[Nadia]

I got the call from my son's dad and he said, hey, like, the situation just came up. My son had been accused of, like, sexual assault, sexual harassment. And he couldn't even finish, like, he was so upset. And I was like, what? What are you talking about?

[Steve Patterson]

This is Nadia. She's first nations. And Nadia is not her real name. We're keeping her anonymous for reasons you'll soon understand. And we're also leaving out some identifying details of her story. My colleague is reading her quotes.

[Nadia]

This has to be wrong because first of all, my son doesn't even know what that is.

[Steve Patterson]

Nadia says she jumped in her car and drove as fast as she could to find out what happened and speak to someone in charge.

[Nadia]

She was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, come in, just sit down. She said. Last week, Caitlyn handed a note saying, I've been sexually assaulted. She went as far as going to the hospital getting a rape test kit done.

[Steve Patterson]

Nadia had never heard of Kaitlin until that day. It turned out that Kaitlin had been providing support for another first nations youth, not her son. And Kaitlin had accused Nadia's young son of sexually assaulting her in a hallway. Local police got involved.

[Nadia]

The police came in, grabbed all of their video footage, went through, I don't know, it was like three days worth of video.

[Steve Patterson]

And after going through the security tapes, Nadia says the police told her it was clear the problem was not her son.

[Nadia]

And they said the only thing they found was my son high fived her in the hallway. I just felt sick to my stomach. Absolutely sick to my stomach.

[Steve Patterson]

In Canada, there's an over representation of indigenous people who need access to social services. This stems from a long history of colonization going back hundreds of years. For a non indigenous person to be put in a position of power and then turn around and victimize a First nations child. This is not a new or uncommon story. And Nadia says when it happened to her son, she was outraged.

[Nadia]

I was like, how does this even work here? Like, how do you guys hire someone like that?

[Steve Patterson]

Nadia knew her son hadn't technically been harmed. He didn't even know about the allegations. And fortunately there was the video evidence that cleared his name. But it was the Idea that someone might do something like this, that they might lie about something so serious. These were the kind of false allegations that could ruin someone's life. According to Nadia, the police told her that they could press charges, but that would mean her son might have to testify.

[Nadia]

As of right now, he still to this day, doesn't know what he was accused of.

[Steve Patterson]

We have reached out to the relevant representatives for comment, as well as the local police. They have yet to respond to our questions on the record. I mean, it puts you in an incredibly difficult position because on one hand, obviously, your top priority is to protect your son. But on the other hand, you know that this woman is capable of really, really dark things. So you, I guess you were put in a position where you kind of had to make a choice.

[Nadia]

Yeah.

[Steve Patterson]

Nadia told me the police ultimately decided not to press charges. And that decision sat well with Nadia until a cousin sent her a news story about Caitlyn and the Doulas.

[Nadia]

And I was like, oh, my God. So then I went on TikTok and I was on Reddit one night till, like, oh, my God, three in the morning. I just went down this rabbit hole.

[Steve Patterson]

And it was only then that she wondered if pressing charges might have helped someone else.

[Nadia]

I was wondering maybe if we did go through with it, if that would be another charge to keep her in jail, possibly, I don't know. Or if my son's story came out, would other people come forward?

[Steve Patterson]

And she says knowing that Caitlin is a registered social worker, it just adds another layer.

[Nadia]

She knew to go into social work, she's like, she's got to be smart, like really smart to, like, pull off this whole fake life and everything, but to go into social work to cover her, Cover her ass, basically. It's scary, scary that she was able to get away with what she is. I don't even know the word. Yeah. Shocking.

[Steve Patterson]

Uncover from CBC podcasts is your source for exceptional storytelling and groundbreaking journalism. Hear how lives were altered forever by results from one DNA lab. I'm like, what? What do you mean he's not my son? And unravel the clues that a gravel pit may hold about one woman's disappearance.

[Nadia]

It's just. It's odd because there was no trace of a scuffle. There was no nothing.

[Steve Patterson]

Hear the very best in award winning true crime. Listen to Uncover wherever you get your podcasts.

[Kathleen Goldhar]

More often than not, when someone is attacked in their home, they know the perpetrator. So in the 2002 murder of a woman named Marlene Johnson, police believed just that and charged Marlene's daughter in law, Sophia, with the crime. Not only was Sophia charged with killing her mother in law, but the main witness against her was her own brother. I'm Kathleen Goldhar and this week on Crime a family dispute with deadly consequences. Find Crime Story wherever you get your podcasts.

[Denitha Breaux]

So this member is a social work registrant and in mid-2022 to about mid-2023, conduct that this individual engaged in was brought to the college's attention.

[Steve Patterson]

This is Denitha Breaux, CEO of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, the sector's regulatory body. Nadia never complained to the college about Caitlin's actions with her son, but the doulas did. They told the college all about what Caitlin had done to them.

[Denitha Breaux]

It was related to deceitful, misleading and dishonest conduct.

[Steve Patterson]

I mean, a number of doulas that I have spoken to have expressed frustration. They told me that they made complaints to the college. They didn't feel like those complaints were taken seriously and in fact, the complaints were not taken seriously until Caitlin was formally arrested. Can I have your response to that?

[Denitha Breaux]

Absolutely. I can't imagine how difficult this situation has been for the doulas. I, I mean, my heart goes out to. I can't imagine what it's like to feel as though you're engaging in a treatment relationship with a professional and then to have suffered in this way. Having said that, there are certain limitations as a regulator and this case was so different from anything that we would normally have seen.

[Steve Patterson]

Why was this so different than anything you've seen previously?

[Denitha Breaux]

Well, this is an individual who is a practicing social worker, but the concerns are related to the care that they're receiving. In any case, there's a certain level of confidentiality that we have to keep, but when we're looking at also the actual individual's personal care, it goes into a whole different level of confidentiality.

[Steve Patterson]

After her arrest, Caitlyn's license to practice social work was temporarily suspended. What are the potential outcomes? Are you looking at a permanent revocation of her licence?

[Denitha Breaux]

So at that point in time, we're not the decision maker. Discipline panel will decide what the outcome would be and all of those terms, conditions, suspensions, revocation, are available outcomes to that discipline panel.

[Steve Patterson]

No disciplinary hearing has yet been scheduled for Caitlin. Let's say, you know, this hearing is scheduled. There's a decision made about Caitlyn's license could be permanently revoked, but also could be temporarily suspended. As you mentioned, there's a number of options. What happens if upon completion of that Hearing you learn about additional allegations involving Caitlin and her. The work she did in her capacity as a social worker.

[Denitha Breaux]

So the test at that point in time would be, what are the allegations? How severe are they? Where's the public protection mandate going to fit? Is this person a current threat to the public? What action needs to be taken to ensure that they're not a threat to the public?

[Steve Patterson]

Is she a threat to the public? That's a question that the justice system had to take into account as well. So, you, Honor, we're prepared to proceed with this matter. Good morning. Again, you, Honor, I act on behalf of Ms. Caitlin Braun, who's before. Okay, how many?

[Nadia]

How's the crown proceeding? By indictment, you, Honor.

[Steve Patterson]

Standing before the judge is the crown attorney and Caitlin's defense lawyer. It's December 2023. I'm content. I'm in your Honor's hands. I'm content to do it. This is an edited version of the court transcript read by some of my colleagues. I have thoroughly reviewed on many occasions, your honor, the implications of entering a plea with my client. She has given me instructions essentially from.

[Nadia]

The start to do so.

[Steve Patterson]

She understands she is doing so voluntarily. There are no inducements. There are no promises made inducing her to plead. Also there, transferred in from the prison she has called home since being arrested, is Caitlin herself. All right, stand up, ma'am.

[Nadia]

Did you hear all that? Yes.

[Steve Patterson]

Here in this nondescript courtroom in the small Ontario city of Brantford, the court clerk reads out the long list of charges.

[Kathleen Goldhar]

Caitlin Braun, you stand charged that between the 10th day of October in the year 2022 and the 22nd day of October in the year 2022 in the province of Ontario, willfully did an indecent act while physically naked, coerce the victim to perform a massage with intent. With intent to insult or offend.

[Steve Patterson]

This account goes on for a long time. There are 21 charges in total and.

[Kathleen Goldhar]

Did thereby commit public mischief, contrary to section 141A of the Criminal code of Canada. How do you plead in these charges, guilty or not guilty?

[Steve Patterson]

Guilty. This guilty plea, it was just the beginning because Caitlin was about to present a real problem for the courts. That's next time on the con, Caitlyn's baby.

[Nadia]

So the ideal for sentencing for me would be, like, locking her up long enough that she can't do this anymore. Like, to the point where, like, she's 50 and obviously can't pass as a pregnant woman.

[Steve Patterson]

We made numerous attempts to contact Kaitlin Braun, outlining the allegations made through the series and inviting her to respond to what has been said. She made it clear to me that she didn't want to be involved with the podcast. The invitation remains open to Caitlin should she change her mind and wish to respond. This is a CBC and BBC World Service production. The show is written, researched and produced by me, Sarah Trelevin. It was also written and produced by by Kathleen Goldhar. Extra production support from Andrew Friesen and Alexis Green. Sound design and scoring by Mitchell Stewart. Emily Quinnell is our digital Coordinating producer. Our Senior producer is Veronica Simmons. The fact checker is Emily Mathieu. Our executive producers are Cecil Fernandez and Chris Oak. Tanya Springer is our Senior manager and Arif Narrani is the Director of CBC Podcasts for the BBC World Service. Cat Collins is the Senior producer and John Mennell is the Podcast Commissioning Editor. A BBC World Service and CBC podcast production.