In May, YouTuber and social media influencer Myka Stauffer and her husband, James, took to YouTube to share a video revealing that after adopting a son, Huxley, in 2017, they have made the decision to “rehome” him.
In the seven-minute video, the Stauffer’s revealed that they were not made fully aware of just how severe Huxley’s special needs were. And after years of different therapies, the couple said this was the best decision for Huxley, to find him another forever family who could care for him better.
“Over the last year, he’s been in more intense therapy to try to help him as much as possible. For us, it’s been really hard hearing from medical professionals a lot of their feedback. Because it’s not what we ever wanted to hear,” the couple said. “We’ve never wanted to be in this position.”
“There’s not an ounce of heart that doesn’t love Huxley,” Myka Stauffer said with tears in her eyes.
In the video of the couple sharing their decision to adopt with their fans four years ago, Myka revealed that James was hesitant about adopting a child after already being parents of three biological children. However, the mom claimed that adoption was something that “had been in her heart” for a long time. Long before she ever became a mom in the first place.
“For the longest time, Jim it just wasn’t right in his heart. It wasn’t something he was 100-percent ready for.” But after bringing up the idea again shortly before making the ultimate decision, James had a change of heart and that’s when the couple began the process of adopting Huxley.
Now after revealing their decision to rehome their adopted son, officials have been investigating the parents’ claims and checking in on Huxley’s wellbeing.
According to BuzzFeed News, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office has worked with “several other agencies” to investigate the claims the Stauffer’s have made as well as the questions that have arisen from their decision to rehome their adopted son. As a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Officer told BuzzFeed, the investigation is ongoing, however, Huxley “is not missing” as some people feared.
In a statement, Tracy Whited, the office’s community and media relations manager, said that “both parties are being represented by attorneys to ensure full compliance with the court process” and that as the investigation continues, officials “will have contact with all children to ensure their safety.”
“All adoption cases are confidential and must go through a thorough process, with specific requirements and safeguards. In private adoptions, there are the same legal requirements that must be adhered to. These include home studies as well as background checks on the adopting parent(s).” In this case, Whited said, authorities “are confident that the appropriate process is occurring.”
All traces of Huxley have since been removed from Myka’s Instagram page. In a statement provided by the Stauffers lawyer, while it was not made clear where Huxley is now living, it shares that Myka and James “handpicked” Huxley’s new family. The decision was made after consulting “multiple professionals in the healthcare and educational arenas.”
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“Over time, the team of medical professionals advised our clients it might be best for Huxley to be placed with another family. This is devastating news for any parent.” They also denied ever putting Huxley into foster care.