Rosie O’Donnell’s adopted daughter Chelsea has left home once more — but this time, the 18-year-old is seeking to live with her birth mother. The teen’s decision to leave comes just a little over a week after she was first reported missing.
“Chelsea made a decision when she turned 18 that she wanted to go to her birth mother, a rep for Rosie tells Us Weekly. “This was her choice.”
Chelsea turned 18 on Monday, Aug. 24, and she plans to live with her birth mother, Deanna, in Wisconsin, according to TMZ.
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Rosie took to Twitter and her website to send out an SOS to friends and fans that Chelsea had gone missing and was last seen on Aug. 11. Authorities later located Chelsea and her dog Bear in Barnegat Light, a town located on the Jersey shore.
Also with Chelsea was a man named Steven M. Sheerer, whom the teen had met through the mobile dating app Tinder. According to TMZ, Sheerer’s attorneys claim that he assumed Chelsea was over 18 when he initially contacted her and then later sent her nude photos of himself.
Chelsea will likely argue in court that Sheerer believed she was of legal age, TMZ reports.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, Sheerer was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and the distribution of obscenity. If convicted, he could face over five years in jail.
Rosie and her ex Kelli Carpenter share three other children in addition to Chelsea, and the former The View talk show host also has one adopted daughter with ex-wife Michelle Rounds.