Jenelle Evans and husband David Eason have been left in shock after a judge denied them temporary custody of their children.
According to a source close to the former Teen Mom 2 star who spoke to E! Online, Evans is “completely crushed” by the judge’s ruling earlier this week that her three children – Jace, 9, Kaiser, 4, and Ensley, 2 – will not be in her custody for some time. Eason’s daughter, 11-year-old Maryssa, will also not be in her father’s custody.
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“Jenelle was stunned that the judge did not give her back the kids,” the source said. “They are all for the time being remaining with their respective caregivers.”
Trouble for the couple began after Eason confessed to shooting and killing Nugget, his wife’s French bulldog, after it had nipped at their toddler. In his since-deleted Instagram post, in which he shared a photo of Ensley with a lightly reddened cheek, Eason had explained that he is “all about protecting my family” and that “some people are worth killing or dying for.”
The violence caused concern not only among fans and fellow Teen Mom stars, but also with North Carolina Child Protective Services, who followed a court order to remove all children from the couple’s home. On Friday, May 10, both Jace and Kaiser were removed, with Ensley and Maryssa being removed shortly after.
Following the loss of custody, Evans vowed to fight to get her children back, and it was later reported that the couple were working together to achieve the “singular goal” of regaining custody.
On Thursday, May 16, the couple made their first court appearance, though it was ultimately ruled at the time that they would not be regaining custody, with the children seen being ushered away in a separate vehicle from their parents.
They returned to court on earlier this week, and a judge, after hearing testimony from Evans, family members, and child protective service employees, ruled that the four children would continue to reside away from Evans and Eason with other family members.
“They judge deemed Jenelle and David not credible,” a source claimed. “He also told Jenelle that she did not do her job as a mother to protect her kids.”
Currently, Jace and Ensley living with Evans’ mother, Barbara Evans, while Kaiser is being cared for by his father Nathan Griffith’s mother. Eason’s daughter Maryssa remains in the custody of her mother, Whitney Johnson.
Evans and Eason are expected to return to court on Tuesday, June 4, when they will learn “what the next steps are as this is a temporary custody decision.” At the moment, they are being allowed “one hour once a week of supervised visits.”
