OLATHE, Kan. — A Johnson County mother's trust was shattered after learning her child's pediatric neurologist faces federal charges related to child pornography.
"I'll never walk into another doctor's office and trust the person looking at my child is a good person because this doctor has ruined that for me,” Amanda Chilcote said.
Dr. Brian Aalbers was charged earlier this month with attempting to produce child pornography. A federal grand jury added a possession of child pornography charge earlier this week.
The families of patients now say they're seeking accountability.
Chilcote spoke with the KSHB 41 I-Team on Wednesday about Aalbers. He was her son’s neurologist.
After Chilcote’s son, Elias, was born unresponsive, doctors sent him to the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center for an MRI.
When the results came back, she said Aalbers, a former pediatric neurologist at the hospital, was added to his care team as her son's neurologist.
“They told me he would never talk, walk, crawl," Chilcote said. "A lot of his future was unknown."
Aalbers diagnosed Elias with periventricular leukomalacia.
"He talked very fast," Chilcote said of Aalbers. "He was very socially awkward."
Today, Elias, now 2, is walking and talking.
For Chilcote, the details of the federal investigation into Aalbers broke her trust with allegations that he attempted to produce and possessed child pornography.
"My initial reaction was concern that my son was or could have been a victim,” she said.
Kansas City, Missouri, police received a tip in late October about hidden video cameras, according to federal court documents.
That same day investigators also detailed a text message from the doctor that read: “I am going to jail/lose my license" and discovered suicidal texts from Aalbers.
Police took him to a mental-health hospital, where staff took Aalbers' electronics, per hospital policy.
Shortly after he was admitted, police learned Aalbers contacted someone asking them to destroy his electronics because "bad stuff" was on them.
After the FBI got involved, a forensic examiner discovered more than 20,000 videos on Dr. Aalbers' laptop from December 2020 until October 2023.
"Reading 20,000 videos, that's a lot,” Chilcote said.
She said she received a letter from the hospital system after finding out about the charges against Aalbers that said he was “unexpectedly out of the office” and “unavailable to provide clinical care at this time.”
“There was no acknowledgment of a case," Chilcote said. "There was no accountability; there was nothing."
Overland Park Regional Medical Center issued a new statement to the I-Team on Wednesday:
The health and safety of our patients is our top priority, and there is no indication at this time that the allegations against Dr. Aalbers involve patients. We assisted law enforcement with their initial investigation and will continue to help in any way we can if that is requested. Additionally, we can confirm that the appropriate regulatory agencies have been made aware of the charges against Dr. Aalbers. Dr. Aalbers is no longer affiliated with Overland Park Regional Medical Center or any of our facilities or clinics, and we are working with his former patients to meet their care needs.
Aalbers also worked at Children's Mercy Hospital for three years beginning until May 2017.
"What are we going to do moving forward?" Chilcote asked rhetorically. "As things continue to come out, where do we go?"
Her son still needs a neurologist, but finding someone she can trust will be a monumental task.
"The only way my trust will be regained is for medical professionals to be held accountable,” Chilcote said.
The FBI is still continuing to investigate Aalbers and searching for other possible victims.
Chilcote said she filled out the FBI's form, which seeks information about possible victims as a precautionary measure. It's something you can fill out if you believe your child may have been victimized by Aalbers.
The I-Team reached out to Aalbers’ attorney again after the second charge was filed against him.
His attorney, Gregory Watt, said in a statement, "We are looking at all the evidence and remaining steadfast in our defense of Dr. Aalbers. Fortunately, it is still early in the process and we are optimistic regardless of what challenges may come our way.”
Aalbers remains in federal custody without bond until his trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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