JW Grandparents Fight For Custody of Their Orphaned Grandchildren

[The Librarian]

Their parents died violent deaths. Now grandparents of 7 Glen Carbon children fighting for guardianship

EDWARDSVILLE • Seven children from Glen Carbon whose parents died in March are now at the center of a struggle over guardianship between their paternal grandparents and their maternal grandmother.

According to court documents, Nancy and Henry Campbell of Glen Carbon, the children’s paternal grandparents, filed a petition for guardianship after the parents, Cristy and Justin Campbell, died March 16. More than a month later, Cristy Campbell’s mother, Lenora Brueggemann of Caseyville, filed a counterpetition for guardianship that alleged Nancy and Henry Campbell were forcing the children, five boys and two girls, ages 5 months to 14 years, to adopt a lifestyle that harms their mental health.

The counterpetition claims that Nancy and Henry Campbell have:

 

• Forced the children to adopt the couple’s religion, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to seek converts by going door to door.

• Banned contact between the children and Brueggemann because Brueggemann is not a Jehovah’s Witness.

• Planned to have the children discontinue their extracurricular activities, including sports.

The document says Brueggemann was the primary alternate child care provider for the children before their parents’ deaths. Brueggemann was unable to house all seven children after their parents’ deaths, but the petition says she is working on securing an adequate living situation.

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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/their-parents-died-violent-deaths-now-grandparents-of-glen-carbon/article_e9def219-d5b4-5f31-8c46-4681c520f334.html