American Idolalum Syesha Mercado and her partner Tyron Deener are speaking out afterlosing custodyof their two young children, 18-month-old son Amen’Ra and 2-week-old daughter Ast.
In avirtual press conferenceon Tuesday, Mercado, 34, broke down in tears as she reflected on “missing out on so many precious moments” with her children, who have been placed in the care of Child Protective Services.
“I am a first-time mom and I’ve been deprived of holding my babies, and feeding my babies,” she tearfully said. “I didn’t get to see Ra say mama for the first time. I didn’t get to see my babies meet for the first time. I didn’t get to see that and I can’t go back and redo that moment. I will never be able to go back and redo that moment.”
“I’m just missing out on so many precious moments — this is such a precious time,” the singer continued. “I feel my daughter. I feel when she’s hungry and know when she’s crying. And I can’t do anything. She’s not here with me.”
“I’m supposed to be loving my babies,” she said. “I’ve been deprived of that and I don’t know how to articulate it. It hurts so bad.”
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Mercado claimed on herGoFundMe pagethat she had taken her son to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida for fluids while transitioning from breastfeeding to the bottle due to her pregnancy when Child Protective Services took the boy.
Randy Warren, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, told PEOPLE that authorities began an investigation into the matter after receiving a tip about a child who was “suffering from severe malnutrition.”
According to Warren, the parents “refused to cooperate” and a judge ordered the child to be placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. The case was then handed over to Safe Children’s Coalition, who handled the decision to “shelter a second child born into the parent’s care.”
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The child remains in state protection following an August 12 court hearing, according to theMiami Herald-Tribune.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Mercado and Deener denied allegations that they had mistreated their children.
“The only thing that we have ever done as parents is make responsible decisions, loving decisions,” Deener said. “We have not committed any crime. We have not abused our babies. We have not done anything that is irresponsible as parents.”
“Our life revolves around health, balance and doing what we can to guide our children,” he said. “Nothing that we do is detrimental to our babies.”
In a statement provided to PEOPLE, Captain Dennis E. Romano Jr. of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s Child Protection Investigations Division noted, “Child Protective Services does not shelter children from families with the intent to keep them separated for long. The child welfare system is a social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material wellbeing of persons in need.”
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“We and/or our partners offer the guidance to parents for them to successfully reach goals necessary for timely reunification. Time frames for reunification vary, but the willingness of parents and/or guardians to complete the steps necessary to ensure a healthy and safe family dynamic are essential to a quick reunification of all families.”
The Florida Department of Children and Families did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital previously provided PEOPLE with the following statement: “Our first priority at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital is always the safety and privacy of our patients and their families. Therefore, we strictly follow privacy laws that limit the amount of information we can release regarding this particular case. However, we can say that our first responsibility is always to the child brought to us for care, and we are legally obligated to notify the Department of Children and Families (DCF) when we detect signs of possible abuse or neglect. It is DCF that investigates the situation and makes the ultimate decision about what course of action is in the best interests of the child.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
