A YouTuber had said that her son was ‘non-returnable’ before re-homing him after three years as a shocking docuseries sheds new light on the saga.
A YouTube family shocked the internet by re-homing their child after they had documented his adoption process.
A new HBO docuseries titled An Update on Our Family sheds some light on Myka and James Stauffers’ fall from grace in 2020.
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In a video, the family had shown their son’s photo online before the adoption was finalized, where Myka told viewers about his disability.
At the time, the couple claimed to be ‘very, very open’ to raising a child with disabilities.
In a video in 2017, she said: “I don’t know what his medical diagnosis is gonna look like. How much schooling will he need? Will he need a little bit more hands on? Will he be delayed?
“But if anything, my child is not returnable.”
The couple had named their son Huxley (he has since been renamed by his new family) and they were open with their subscribers about his diagnosis of autism.
However, Myka and James faced backlash online after they revealed that they were re-homing Huxley three years after adopting him.
Since revealing their decision to dissolve the adoption, the Stauffers’ lawyers spoke to People at the time where they said that the couple’s ultimate hope was to ‘provide Huxley with the best possible treatment and care’.
In 2020, their lawyers Thomas Taneff and Taylor Sayers said: “We are privy to this case and given the facts at hand, we feel this was the best decision for Huxley.
“In coming to know our clients we know they are a loving family and are very caring parents that would do anything for their children.
“Since his adoption, they consulted with multiple professionals in the healthcare and educational arenas in order to provide Huxley with the best possible treatment and care.”
“Over time, the team of medical professionals advised our clients it might be best for Huxley to be placed with another family.”
The lawyers also made it clear that the family vloggers had not included ‘any considerations for placement in the foster system, but rather to hand-select a family who is equipped to handle Huxley’s needs’.
Since facing the online backlash, the family’s vlog YouTube channel titled The Stauffer Life along with Myka’s personal channel have been deleted.
An Update on Our Family premieres on January 15 on HBO and StreamOnMax.