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Kim Kardashian recently shared a tweet in support of American Idol star Syesha Mercado’s battle to regain custody of her children.
“Everyone please read and spread this story is absolutely heartbreaking,” Kardashian tweeted about Mercado’s woes on August 14. “How a mother could go and seek help for her baby that is not wanting to eat, they take the baby into foster care and remove her newborn baby with no reports of abuse @Syesha http://amenrasba.life.”
MADAMENOIRE previously reported that Mercado is in an ongoing faceoff with Florida’s Manatee Child Protective Services. She and her partner Tyron Deneer are fighting to regain custody of her newborn daughter, who CPS recently took, and her 1-year-old son, Amen’Ra. The latter was placed into foster care by the same local CPS department a few months ago.
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As seen in a video posted to Mercado’s Instagram account on August 11, she and her partner recieved a surprise welfare check from CPS. In the video, the 34-year-old mother of two is pleading with the CPS officials to not take her daughter away.
She told them, “How could you guys do this? Do you not feel anything? My baby is days old and you’re taking my baby away from me. You’re taking my baby away from me. You have no heart. This is so wrong.”
Following a court hearing that happened on August 12, the newborn is still in protective custody and Amen’Ra is now being looked after by a white foster family.
Manatee Child Protective Services took Amen’Ra from the couple after they took the child to get assessed for dehydration at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 1-year-old had been assessed by Dr. Sally Smith.
In an investigation of Smith conducted by the USA Today Network, the pediatrician was described as having a history of negligently diagnosing child abuse.
According to Tampa’s Channel 8 News, Mercado and Deneer spoke out of the incident during a press conference that was held on Tuesday, August 17.
“If you are a parent, if you are a grandparent, aunt uncle, cousin, just know that we have agencies in place that have the ability to remove children without you breaking the law or abusing your niece, nephew, son,” Deneer told reporters. “If this can happen to us, it can happen to you. We have no criminal background. We have no history with DCF. We have done nothing wrong.”
To get updates from the parents directly, learn more and lend your support, see Mercado’s GoFundMe here.
