Why did '90 Day Fiancé’ star Paul Staehle and his parents lose custody of his children?
'90 Day Fiancé' star Paul Staehle is coming out after his three-year-old son Pierre was reported missing by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Pierre was identified as missing since June 8 and presumably "in the company" of his dad, Paul, in a missing poster posted online on Friday, July 1.
Louisville Metro Police Department told PEOPLE, "they accepted a missing person's complaint on June 9 and have since referred the case to their Missing Persons Unit", which is "considered an open and active investigation." The '90 Day Fiancé' star, who also has a baby boy Ethan with his ex-wife Karine Martins, told TMZ on Saturday, July 2 that he is not on the run with Pierre and that everything is a misapprehension. Paul apparently held custody of both of his boys for a few months before losing custody. As per the '90 Day Fiancé' blogger John Yates, "Karine and Paul's parents presently do not have custody of the sons." On the night of July 1, Paul posted an odd message on Instagram Stories, which appeared to corroborate this. “If two parents have their kids taken. The grandparents or a relative should be allowed to have temporary custody," he posted. "To ban the grandparents from the children as well as the natural parents is very sad."
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On July 2, Paul told TMZ that his youngest son, Ethan, was taken from Paul's mother's custody and is now in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS). Paul verified that Pierre is with him, although he denies kidnapping the boy. Rather, he claimed to have taken Pierre on a “long work trip together dating back to early June.” Paul stated he had been looking for jobs between Florida and Pennsylvania, while Pierre accompanied him. He said that he brought Pierre with him because he suffers from "extreme separation anxiety" when he is apart from Paul. Later, Paul informed the outlet that he and Pierre are returning to Kentucky to settle this and that he “hopes to regain custody of his children on his own,” or at the very least through his mother.
Karine, the boys' mother, made a statement in Portuguese on Instagram Stories on July 2, stating she is OK even though she does not have her children. John Yates shared the translation of the message on his Instagram where the caption read: "There was some news in the last few days about Karine, her kids, and ex-husband. I would like to communicate that Karine is doing well and doing everything she was guided to by the law. She would like to thank everyone for the support and strength her fans who follow her have given to her. For last we would like to let you know very soon Karine will speak on her social media, she will do a live to tranquilize everyone who follows her through the years."
Karine was convicted of fourth-degree assault in March after a domestic violence incident against Paul was filmed months earlier. The footage shows Karine pulling Paul by the hair and forcibly holding him to the couch in front of Pierre. Paul claims Karine of putting their then-infant boy Ethan into the front seat of a car in another video.
How did the parents lose custody of their children?
Alums of '90 Day Fiancé' Paul and Karine Staehle appear to have lost custody of their children, Pierre and Ethan. According to John Yates on Instagram, Paul's mother and father have also lost parenting rights. In addition, Paul lamented the terrible scenario on his Instagram Stories.
She earlier requested a protection order against Paul in August 2020, alleging that she feared for her and her son's lives and wanted to be removed from a situation that was no longer healthy for either of them. At the time, Paul denied hurting his wife, saying on his Instagram Story that he was "scared" and "really upset" when she left with their child. He also stated on a police video that Karine assaulted him.
However, TLC fans were taken aback when Paul uploaded a video in 2021 that appeared to show Karine being violent with him in front of the kids. A video purports to show Karine being physically abusive to Paul in this case. Karine seems to yank Paul violently back by his hair and push his head back by gripping his neck on what looks to be a camera inside their house. The footage was released on social media and quickly watched by many. Sadly, the couple's two-year-old son, Pierre, was there throughout the alleged argument. According to PopCulture.com, Karine was arraigned in March 2022 on allegations of domestic violence. People are aware, though, that they frequently break up and subsequently reconcile.
Influencer for the television show '90 Day Fiancé,' John Yates, later reported that Paul’s children were taken from Paul, Karine, and his parents. Well, a lot of folks were perplexed as to why that occurred so abruptly. After all, they assumed Paul would retain custody of the children, or at the very least, agree on a custody plan.
The couple first appeared on '90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days' in Season 1 in 2017, and then returned for Season 2 in 2018. They also starred in the spin-off shows '90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way and Happily Ever After?.' They married in 2017 and filed for divorce in November 2019.