Syesha Mercado daughter returned after custody fight

HOLLYWOOD, CA – JULY 10: Recording Artist Syesha Mercado attends the GEANCO Foundtaion’s “Impact Africa” fundraiser event at Cafe Entourage on July 10, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

Syesha Mercado was just reunited with her daughter — but her custody battle isn’t over.

Earlier this month, the American Idol alum lost custody of her newborn daughter Ast to Child Protective Services. The CPS intervention stemmed from accusations that Mercado and her partner Tyron Deener were neglecting their now 13-month-old son Amen’Ra, who was taken by CPS in February. The welfare check by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department in Florida — a video of which was posted by Mercado and Deener to Instagram — led to the removal of Ast after they learned that Amen’Ra was previously removed from their home.

According to the activism organization We Have a Right to Be Right, which is supporting the family’s case, Mercado took her son to the hospital after Amen’Ra was struggling to eat solid food, however, he was then placed in the care of CPS after they alleged she did not try to get medical intervention earlier. The singer’s attorney, Derrick McBurrows, denied the allegations at a press conference, and said that Mercado first took her son to a different hospital when he initially experienced “lactation issues.”

“This is a first-time mother who was seeking help,” McBurrows stressed, “yet she was criminalized.”

The children, according to the couple’s second attorney Louis Baptiste, were placed in a home together with an “estranged relative.”

Now, Ast is back home with her parents. Deener announced the news that their daughter was now back in their care on Instagram, sharing a video of the infant sleeping in the car. He thanked those who supported the couple’s quest for “justice.”

“We still have work to do to get Ra back,” Deener said in the video. “But because of your support we’ve been able to get the best attorneys in the country.”

Deener added that while the family is still fighting for their son to be returned home, their story is not the only one of injustice committed by CPS.

“The work don’t stop,” the father continued. “We have to get Ra back and we got to get the other babies back home.”

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