On Thursday, May 23, 2024, my brother’s former wife, Amber, passed away unexpectedly, leaving him the sole parent of their four children. A few days before the memorial service, Andrew, my brother, spoke with his former mother-in-law about his intentions to take his kids back to Seguin with him. She was understandably upset, and a family friend of hers tried to intervene and convince Andrew to leave his kids in Del Rio. His former mother-in-law decided she needed to be the one to inform her remaining daughter of Andrew’s intentions.

The sister’s response to my brother’s intentions was negative, to say the least. From that point on, it was no longer a solemn time of remembrance and the beginning of the healing process for a family who had lost someone precious to them; instead, it became a struggle for my brother to keep his four grieving children.

It did not take his former sister-in-law and her husband long to hire an attorney. Using their strong ties in the community, they undermined my brother’s rights and took temporary custody of his children. After a very one-sided court hearing, the court forced Andrew to share custody with his former sister-in-law as the civil case continues. Upon their reunification with their father, they only had the clothes they wore and small bags with few items in them. Their other property, their beds, their clothes, pictures of their mother, anything they had ever received from their mother or their father, had been, and continues to be, withheld from them.

I am here asking for assistance in raising $50,000 to help cover the legal expenses expected over the next month. I am also asking for any prayers you can offer for a peaceful, civil conclusion to this lawsuit.