Authorities launched an investigation into the welfare of Myka Stauffer’s adopted son, Huxley, after the YouTuber announced that she and her husband, James Stauffer, had placed him with another family, Us Weekly confirms.
“The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office has received several inquiries regarding the welfare of a local 5-year-old child, who was recently given up for adoption. This child is not missing,” the Ohio-based sheriff’s office said in a press release on Wednesday, June 3. “Our primary concern is for the well-being of this child, as well as the other children in the household.”
Sheriff Russell L. Martin stated that the “investigation is ongoing, and will include contact with all [of the Stauffer] children to ensure their safety.” He explained that “all adoption cases are confidential,” so there are “legal requirements that must be adhered to,” including “home studies as well as background checks” on Myka, 33, and James, 34.
“In this case we are confident that the appropriate process is occurring,” the press release read. “In addition, both parties are being represented by attorneys to ensure full compliance with the court process. Due to the confidential nature of the case, we will not be releasing any specific information or further comment.”
A spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office told BuzzFeed News that it has been working with “several other agencies” to investigate the case. Franklin County Children Services, meanwhile, told the website that Myka “made arrangements [for Huxley] with an individual person, versus an agency.”
Myka and James came under fire after they announced in a YouTube video on May 26 that they had given Huxley, who has autism, to a “new mommy” in a “forever home.” The news came three years after the couple adopted the boy from China. They also share Kova, 8, Jaka, 6, Radley, 4, and Onyx, 11 months.
“There’s not an ounce of our body that doesn’t love Huxley with all of our being. There wasn’t a minute that [we] didn’t try our hardest,” Myka said in the video. “After multiple assessments, after multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit and that [with] his medical needs, he needed more. … Do I feel like a failure as a mom? Like, 500 percent.”
The vlogger, who lost her partnership with Fabletics amid the controversy, previously said in a 2017 YouTube video that Huxley was “not returnable.”
