‘Idol’s Syesha Mercado Brings Infant Daughter Home, Still Fighting to Get Son Back
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic Reading Time: 3 minutes
Season 7 American Idol finalist, Syesha Mercado, has been reunited with her month-old daughter Ast. Syesha’s toddler son, Amen’Ra, was put in foster care in March after a visit to the hospital. Ast was then taken by police just a week after she was born. Syesha shared the news on her Instagram as she continues to fight to bring her son home.
Syesha Mercado Brings Infant Daughter Home After She was ‘Legally Kidnapped’
The American Idol alum posted an update video with her partner, Tyron Deener, driving in the car on Aug. 20. Ast is seen sleeping in her carseat. He thanked all of their supporters and their families for helping them hire “the best attorney’s in the country” to get the infant back. They were all smiles as Tyron spoke about hoping to reunite other legally kidnapped children with their families too.
Tyron announced that the couple does believe Amen’Ra will be brought home soon. They are still only allowed visitation with the toddler at this time. The couple saw their son for a two-hour visit on Sunday. It was an outdoor visit because they no longer have to only see him at the Manatee County Safe Children Coalition.
Syesha also announced plans to take legal action against Manatee County authorities who she believes unfairly targeted the family. They have been sharing every part of their story on social media in a call to action. Syesha first opened up on Instagram in May about Amen’Ra being taken from her.
Syesha brought Amen’Ra to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for help transitioning him off of breastmilk in March. The doctors allegedly suggested giving him a B-12 shot after finding him to be malnourished. Syesha maintains that she never declined the shot, but instead asked for more information about it.
Ast was taken from her parents during a roadside wellness check with police on August 11. Syesha documented this in a video that has now been viewed on Instagram over 3.4 million times. Her screams and cries could be heard in the background as Tyron tried to explain to police that he works in the foster system himself. This was five months after Amen’Ra was taken by CPS.
Syesha’s Story Has Gained Global Attention
Syesha wrote on Instagram that things escalated quickly when Amen’Ra was taken by armed police officers before she and Tyron were banned from the hospital. She had never been without Amen’Ra for more than two hours before he was placed in foster care. She insisted that her family members could care for the child but no interviews were reportedly ever conducted to place Amen’Ra in a familiar temporary home.
The story has been gaining global attention. Actress Kate Mara joined the fight to #BringRaHome by sharing the story on her Instagram account. Kelechi Okafor, Neelam, Lauren Lapkus, Vanessa Morgan, and Tatyana Ali have also written supportive comments on Syesha’s posts.
To help the family through this heartbreaking experience, Syesha has been posting daily affirmations saying, “Ra is home.” She hopes that by putting this out into the universe, it will happen. Since initially sharing the news that Ast and Amen’Ra were taken from their home, the couple started a GoFundMe page. They have raised nearly $450,000 to help bring their children home.
“I am a first-time mom and I’ve been deprived of holding my babies, and feeding my babies,” Syesha said during a recent press conference. “I didn’t get to see Ra say, ‘mama’ for the first time. I didn’t get to see my babies meet for the first time. I didn’t get to see that and I can’t go back and redo that moment, I will never be able to go back and redo that moment.”
