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Imagine taking in a neglected child at 4 months old, raising and bonding with that child for 2 1/2 years, and being that child’s sole source of love and nurturing. Now imagine that child being taken from you by the birth mother and being told by the birth mother that you’ll never see that child again…suddenly, you need an attorney …. and in the meantime, the child is in a filthy, unsafe environment.
Hello. I’m Steve. The picture you see is my Great Grandson, Zayden. My wife, Pat, and I have been raising him since he was barely 4 months old. We are his PRIMARY CAREGIVERS and the only caregivers he has known. We are raising legal funds needed to get him back.
Zayden is now 33months old, and he has been the light of our lives. He is smart, curious, gentle, and pure love. We were asked by his mother to take him soon after he was born. And, we did so, happily! Why? To protect him from the neglect and irresponsible behavior we had witnessed from his mother with her 2 other children, a girl and a boy, when she she moved to Texas.
The birth mother has had multiple Child Protective Services investigations in the past in 3 states, including child molestation by a stranger she allowed to live in her house! She is now under investigation by Child Protective Services, again! We don’t know the specifics, but we have our suspicions. Her live in boyfriend has several drug related convictions, one being a felony. When visited by CPS and asked about other kids, she told the CPS investigator about Zayden. She told the investigator “Zayden lives with my grandparents.” On November 17th this year she came and took Zayden from us, supposedly for a Thanksgiving “with the family”. She now refuses to bring him back.
We are heartsick. We learned that she is angry that a new case was opened, and a CPS investigator visited her house. We sent word that we know nothing about that case! She doesn’t care. She threatened to leave the state and never let us see him again. A friend recommended we seek legal counsel. We did. We need to pay the attorney to go to court and we need to do so within 90 days. Pat and I are frantic to get Zayden back. He is now in a very bad environment. We have to help him!
Reputable Child Psychologists say that the loss of the primary caregiver is terribly traumatic to a child! We are devastated! We want nothing more than to raise him without the scars and trauma associated with child abuse and neglect. We ask for your help to fight for Zayden’s safe return to us and the home he knows and loves.
https://www.gofundme.com/6j7lmcw
