A woman from a state outside Texas is fighting for custody of her granddaughter. The grandparents’ rights case arose due to the recent death of the woman’s daughter — the mother of her granddaughter. The child’s father, who lives in yet another state, is also petitioning for custody of the 6-year-old girl.
Reportedly, the girl was alone with her 39-year-old mother in a motel room on Christmas Day when her mother suffered a diabetic shock that caused her to lapse into a coma. She was found unresponsive and died later that day. Police left the child in the care of Child Protective Services who arranged for the girl to be placed with foster parents.
The nature of this California girl’s relationship with her father — who apparently lives in Colorado — is unknown. There is also no information reported about how close she is with her grandmother — who lives in Florida. However, the grandmother, who is already struggling to come to terms with the death of her daughter, is determined to take her grandchild back to live with a loving family in Florida.
A recent court hearing was inconclusive. The grandmother expressed hope for a resolution in an upcoming court proceeding. Fighting for grandparents’ rights is never easy, in Texas or elsewhere. State laws typically favor a biological parent absent evidence that establishes it may be contrary to the best interests of the child. Even if custody is not awarded to the grandmother, an opportunity may exist to establish a visitation rights.
Source: abc7news.com, “Custody battle ongoing for Livermore girl who lost mom on Christmas Day“, Laura Anthony, Jan. 20, 2016
