Jenelle Evans Reacts to Custody Ruling: I Will Get Them Back! [EXCLUSIVE]
by Free Britney at . Updated at .It has been a crazy couple of weeks on The Land.
A murdered dog. A visit from CPS. Displaced children. Rumors. Doubts. Twists. Turns. Bombshell court hearings.
Just yesterday, the judge overseeing the case announced his final decision on who should have custody of the children.
The news wasn't what the Easons wanted to hear - temporary custody was officially granted to the kids' current guardians.
There's been A LOT going on, and your friends at The Hollywood Gossip have done our best to keep you posted on every last bit of it.
And now we have Jenelle's exclusive statement on the shocking court decision. How's she holding up? What's her next step?
Let's break everything down and find out.
1. Here We Go
This week, something huge happened. Something Teen Mom fans have been gossiping about and obsessing over for the past few weeks, and which we've watched play out before our eyes in the news and on social media. If you're reading this now, you know what we're talking about.
2. Oh Man
This week, a judge decided if Jenelle and David would regain custody of their children.
3. Dang
It's a big deal, right? Probably the biggest deal out of all of Jenelle's deals, which is really saying something.
4. Seriously Though
How did we get to this point in such a short amount of time? After all, this time last month, Ensley, Kaiser, Maryssa, and Jace were all with Jenelle at her home.
5. A Look Back
Let's take a moment to recap, because a whole, whole lot has happened.
6. Uh Oh ...
This whole mess started a few weeks ago, when David killed Nugget, Jenelle's French bulldog.
7. The Evidence
David defended his actions by saying that Nugget bit Ensley, and he shared this photo as proof -- you can see where her cheek is slightly red from where the dog nipped at her.
8. Details?
While some reports have claimed that David beat the dog so badly before killing it that he was "covered in blood" afterward, Jenelle has denied that.
9. The Real Story
Accounts of precisely what happened have differed - and been disputed - but he used a shotgun to end the dog's life.
10. Oh No
We also know that Kaiser and Maryssa, David's older daughter from a previous relationship, were home when all of this happened, as was Ensley, of course.
11. Not Happy
Jenelle was understandably devastated by what happened, and she did leave home for a few days to stay with a friend.
12. Marriage Over?
During that time, she said that she was considering divorce, but eventually she made the choice to return home and work on her marriage. She's said that she and David plan on attending counseling to work on some issues.
13. But Wait ...
But while Jenelle was quick to forgive David, many onlookers were still outraged.
14. Justice for Nugget
Teen Mom fans were obviously concerned, and the star's already tenuous relationship with the network was strained further by the events.
15. Cutting Ties
Shortly after Nugget's death, MTV announced that they hadn't been filming with Jenelle since the reunion, and they had no plans to work with her for the upcoming season.
16. Lots Going On
This was big news, but even more was about to unfold.
17. An Investigation
The local sheriff's department chose to open an investigation into the matter, along with animal control, and that's where things took a major turn.
18. Enter CPS
A detective on the case contacted CPS, and the decision was made to temporarily remove all the children from the home.
19. More Details?
We're not sure what the investigation uncovered, or if the whole thing was about what happened to Nugget, but things got intense fast.
20. Kaiser Time
Kaiser was first -- Nathan was advised by CPS to pick him up from preschool one day, and he's had him ever since.
21. The Girls
A few days later, Jenelle and David took Maryssa and Ensley to stay with Maryssa's maternal grandmother, seemingly so they wouldn't be forcibly removed.
22. Going Wild
There were brief rumors that Jenelle and David went on the run with Maryssa and Ensley, but thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case.
23. Good Decisions
Whatever else happened, at least the couple tried to abide by CPS' wishes in sending the girls to Maryssa's grandmother's home.
24. Moving Ensley
But soon after, Ensley was placed with Barbara instead, so she could be with an actual relative (her grandma, as well as her brother).
25. And Jace?
As for Jace, Barbara was simply instructed not to allow any visitation with Jenelle for the time being. Since she has custody of him already, it wasn't such an issue.
26. Not Having It
With all the children gone, Jenelle and David were quick to go to court in an attempt to get them back as soon as possible.
27. Nope
Instead of handing them back over immediately, a judge decided to look further into the matter, to decide where to place the children while David's being investigated.
28. A Real Bad Time
Usually such matters are decided on pretty quickly, but the Easons had a special case on their hands for myriad reasons.
29. Lots to Review
Often times, such cases are decided in a matter of hours. Not here. The North Carolina judge took four days to hear from those involved and to get everything he needed to make his decision.
30. Naturally
In that time, there was a lot of sensational reports going around online ... for instance, we heard that David exploded in court and that Maryssa left a supervised visit in tears. (Neither claim has been independently confirmed.)
31. It's All Coming Together
We also heard that the judge ordered everyone involved in the case to keep quiet about the proceedings, both on social media and in private conversation, which is probably why we didn't hear even more gossip about the whole thing until the dust settled.
32. Interesting
Friday saw the fourth and final hearing on this matter - it took so long to decide because each child has a different set of parents - and on Tuesday, the judge announced the final decision.
33. Wow
Unfortunately for Jenelle and David, the children's current guardians were officially given temporary custody of the kids - again, Kaiser is with Nathan, Maryssa is with her maternal grandmother, and Ensley is with Barbara, as is Jace.
34. Not What She Expected
Did anyone see this coming? Regardless of how fans might answer that question, this was said to have been a shocking turn of events to Jenelle Evans, who reportedly truly believed that she would be getting custody back that very day.
35. Empty Nest
It's definitely easy to believe that this news was difficult for her to hear - to go from being a mother with three children in the house full time (up until all of this, Nathan only had supervised visits with Kaiser) to living with only your husband would be a shock for anyone, regardless of the circumstances.
36. Makes Sense
We don't know too many more details about what happened in court, mostly because of the reported gag order the judge issued, as well as the fact that the case revolves around minor children, and all the issues are very sensitive by definition.
