The Baby Veronica case seems to have come to a point of no return this week, with parents on both sides adamant that the little girl belongs in their full custody.
The girl known as Baby Veronica has been in the custody of her biological father Dusten Brown for nearly two years, after Brown asserted his paternal rights under a treaty specific to Native Americans.
Baby Veronica’s biological mother had given her up for adoption, but Brown had been serving our country and unable to previously retain custody, in part due to a strained relationship with the girl’s mother.
Enter Melanie and Matt Capobianco, who adopted Baby Veronica. Laws intended to protect American Indian kids being separated from their families and culture allowed Brown to retrieve his daughter after the adoption, and the two families have been fighting ever since.
Earlier this week, Brown surrendered to authorities on a charge of “custodial interference,” but Baby Veronica remains in his custody. Matt Capobianco said:
“Our daughter has been kidnapped, and I expect the situation to be treated as such. The legal games are over; it is time for our daughter to come home. Veronica, your daddy is coming.”
The Oklahoma National Guard, with whom Brown is contracted to serve, indicated they will be “neutral” as the case is hashed out, and Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma said in a Tuesday statement that she would not intervene until after a custody hearing on September 12.
Fallin urged both parties to resolve the dispute out of court:
“As a mother, my heart goes out to Veronica, who has been placed in a terrible situation. I can also imagine the pain that both her adopted and biological parents are feeling… The legal system cannot deliver a happy ending in this case.”
Baby Veronica’s father remains free on bond pending next month’s hearing.
