Protect Avaeya: Emergency Legal Fund for Her Safety

Hello, I hate to do this, especially with the holiday season approaching, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we can’t financially support our daughter with the full amount needed to secure an attorney on an emergency basis to help us keep our beloved Avaeya safe! I prayed for guidance and strength , and I am not ashamed to ask for help from my family and friends!

On November 3rd, our lives were filled with fear, anger, sadness, etc., when Avaeya wasn’t returned from her visit with her father at 5:00 pm as per the court order! My daughter has primary custody! An attorney is needed now to appear on an emergency basis in regards to visitation proceedings between my granddaughter and her father. A week prior to this, she was dropped off at my house by her father, who just stopped on my road and left her alone without making contact with an adult! He knew we were down the street from my home and didn’t wait or even walk her to the door! When we pulled up to the house, Avaeya came running from my backyard crying because she couldn’t get my fence gate door open and nobody answered the door! Needless to say, she was outside alone, scared for 10 minutes, after he was told that we were down the street from my home (like 6 minutes), and he knew this and was told to either wait until someone gets home or drop her off at the restaurant! Anything could have happened in just a few seconds, let alone a few minutes! And then her father’s response is even more disturbing than that! (Picture to follow) I reported this to CPS and the police department!

The following weekend was his scheduled visit, so in order not to break the court order, my daughter sent her! That Sunday, she went to pick up her daughter from her father, and he never showed up! Never answered her calls or mine! He decided not to return her in time again per the court order and kept her for 72 more hours, missing 3 days of school! We are now scared to let her visit with her father without some kind of supervision. We, through much prayer, got her back to school safely! And he has shown up at her school twice trying to get her since then! He knows he’s been reported and that we have concerns with her safety! The police have not been very helpful, unfortunately. We were told this was a “family court matter” and they have to enforce the court order for his visitation! If we keep her from her father until we can get in front of a judge, (my daughter went to the courthouse that Monday to ask for help and an emergency court hearing and was told without an attorney to file an appeal or “ex-parte motion,” we can’t get in front of a judge (Milwaukee County) until March!! We would BOTH be charged with a Felony Offense. How is it a family matter when a court order says he was to return her to her mother at 5:00 pm every other weekend and then he keeps her from her mother without letting her speak to or FaceTime as per the court order and doesn’t follow it himself! Some of you know that this is not the first incident of neglect involving Joey, her father, and can understand why we are so concerned!

If anything, we ask for PRAYERS! I believe that when 2 or more people get together and pray, miracles happen! We found a great lawyer yesterday who says he would represent my daughter and granddaughter and could go in the next few days to file the emergency motion, but his fee was a bit higher than what we had anticipated! Anything helps, but mostly I ask for your prayers upon Avaeya as she has been through so much in her little 5 years on this earth! Please help keep my girl safe!

Thanks so much!