Jenelle Evans’ son, Jace, recently went missing, and now her mom, Barbara Evans, is insinuating that Jenelle’s parenting decisions may have had something to do with it.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, 14-year-old Jace was reported a “juvenile runaway” after he couldn’t be located after a day at school on Tuesday, August 15.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department posted an update on their Facebook page later the same day Jace went missing, notifying the public that the teenager was found safe.
Jenelle spoke with TMZ following the ordeal and claimed that her decision to take away Jace’s phone was to blame for him taking off without notice.
Nothing that Jace is a “good kid,” Jenelle told the outlet, “Jace got in trouble at school, we decided to take his phone away, and that’s when he decided to run off.”
Jenelle’s mom, Barbara Evans, who had custody of Jace from the time he was a baby until March 2023 when Jenelle was awarded full custody, also spoke with TMZ after the incident and claimed that her daughter didn’t want to speak with her after she reached out and asked Barbara to “leave her alone.”
Now, Barbara is speaking out again, and this time, she’s accusing Jenelle of failing to give Jace his ADHD medication, which may have led to Jace running away.
Barbara Evans says her daughter Jenelle Evans stopped giving Jace his ADHD meds before he went missing
Barbara told TMZ that Jace began taking his medication for his ADHD — attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder which is typically classified by attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness — when he was 7 years old.
Jace was also in the care of a behavioral specialist, according to Barbara, and his treatment seemed to be working well for him.
Barbara claimed that Jenelle discontinued Jace’s medication and his visits with a behavioral specialist when she regained custody of him earlier this year.
For her part, Jenelle told TMZ that her mom hasn’t been in contact with Jace since Monday, August 14, and that Jace recently had an appointment with a therapist.
Teen Mom 2 alum Jenelle says Barbara ‘doesn’t have any idea’ what’s going on with Jace these days
“I have cut off contact with her as of three weeks ago,” Jenelle said of her relationship with her mom. “Barbara doesn’t have any idea what is going on inside my home.”
Jenelle also told the outlet that Jace had a therapist appointment on August 17 via Zoom at 10:30 a.m. and said that Barbara “hasn’t even attempted to speak to Jace directly.”
Jenelle’s story about cutting contact with her mother seems to check out, as Barbara told TMZ that her daughter isn’t speaking to her. Barbara also blames Jace’s issues at school, which Jenelle spoke of, on his lack of medication and therapy.
Barbara made it clear that she isn’t attempting to regain custody of her grandson, noting her age and Jace’s behavior as factors. According to the 70-year-old North Carolina resident, she is simply looking out for Jace’s safety in the hopes that a similar event won’t occur in the future.
Season 2 of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
Barbara on some bs