Melanie Martin has regained custody of her son, Prince, who she shared with her late fiance, Aaron Carter. The decision was made on Thursday, over a month after Carter passed away unexpectedly at the age of 34.
Martin was reportedly in New York when the Los Angeles court ruled in favor of her receiving full custody of Prince. Her legal team was able to relay the news to her afterward.
She is traveling back to California to be reunited with Prince, who turned one last month. Martin and Carter had temporarily lost custody of Prince back in September, and he has been living with Martin’s mother since then.
According to Carter, the child was removed from their home due to concerns about violence and drug abuse in their home. Carter had checked into rehab that same month in an attempt to regain custody.
The singer passed away in November before he could regain custody of Prince. Hence, it was a bittersweet moment for Martin to regain custody without him.
She stated, “I’m honoring Aaron today, and I know he would be so proud of me. I’m very emotional thinking we could have been a family, but Aaron would be so happy knowing I got him back.”
Aaron Carter had vowed to get Prince back
Back in September, Carter and Martin gave an exclusive interview with the U.S. Sun. During the interview, Carter revealed that he had lost custody of the child and that he had checked into a month-long rehab program at Lionrock Recovery.
He denied rumors that he had relapsed or that he was suffering from a Xanax or opioid addiction. He claimed his stay at rehab was largely to help him deal with “triggers” after five years of sobriety.
Carter had also hoped the stay would help him to stop smoking marijuana and to find a solution for his often turbulent relationship with Martin.
He stated, “I haven’t had any relapses or anything like that, it’s just triggers are big right now for me [and] I want my son back.” Carter had seemed optimistic in the interview about his recovery and chances of getting Prince back.
He also talked about how he had found joy in parenting, stating, “It’s been amazing.” Martin, meanwhile, had revealed she was struggling with postpartum depression at the time.
Initially, following Carter’s death, it was confirmed that Prince was still to remain in Martin’s mother’s custody. However, the court ruling has now officially given Martin back custody of Prince.
What happened to Carter?
Carter, a singer and former child star, was found dead in a bathtub in his home in California on November 5. Over a month after his passing, his cause of death has still not been released.
However, his friends and family have attempted to shed some light on what happened in the days leading up to his passing. Many have suggested that he was unwell before his passing and may have relapsed.
His manager detailed seeing Carter looking extremely thin and tired before his death. Despite looking physically ill, though, the manager stated he was in high spirits and excited about his future.
His twin sister, Angel, had also sensed something was wrong and had begged him to get help for his addiction just two days before his passing. Carter had reportedly been in and out of rehab at the time of his death.
O-Town lead singer Erik-Michael Estrada said that he felt like Carter was “gone” before he passed away due to the singer reportedly distancing himself from everyone who cared about him.
While the true nature of his final days is murky, his passing has revitalized the conversation about mental health and addiction and the necessity for more resources and support for those struggling.