This past summer, news about a young girl went viral when her father opened a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to cover legal fees for litigation he was involved in with the child’s mother. The contentious child custody case is still not resolved, as is common when a Texas family court must rule on complex issues. In this particular situation, the girl’s father has accused a boyfriend of her mother of abusing his child.
The 9-year-old girl was reportedly a happy child who did well in school until her mood and academic performance began to change during her parents’ child custody battle. The child’s father, who has two other children with the same mother, said his daughter informed him that she felt she was in danger. The father also said that he developed code words for his daughter to use during monitored FaceTime sessions with him when she visited her mother.
At some point, doctors examined the child regarding a vaginal and urinary tract infection and filed a report with Children’s Protective Services stating the child told them her mother’s boyfriend was abusing her. Attorneys representing the mother claimed the allegations and information was fabricated by her father. During the course of events, police also questioned the mother regarding a report the father filed showing his son had tested positive for cocaine after being with his mother. Again, the mother said the accusations were false and that the son had, in fact, been with his father at the time.
After months of litigation, the parents in question are said to have reached an agreement that will allow the mother to have several unsupervised visits with her children. However, there are many unresolved issues regarding the children’s well-beings, and they will be receiving counseling to help them move forward. Many Texas parents may be facing similar child custody issues and may reach out for additional support at any time to help them navigate highly complex legal issues.
