Topic creator, i hate to break it to you but there's really nothing about this story that should leave you TOO dumbfounded. I realize when you read a story like this it will come as a shock, but as someone who has taken in a sizable handful of relatives and other kids whose parents were deadbeat trash and then dealt with the legal aspect of such an endeavor, i can affirm that this story is par for the course for the most part and the decision to give the child back to the mom isn't surprising or abnormal.
First off, you're mistaken about peoples appearance in what should be important court hearings. I've been in family court more times than i can count, and it's actually very rare to come across people who dress appropriately. Most parents/caregivers/etc. come in like they just got out of bed, just got done doin yard work. THey just throw on whatever random shit they got and head on in. The seriousness of child custody/cps/etc. has no bearing or significance to these people. There is zero effort to "look good" for the judge, usually. Every now and then you'll come across a more cunning parent(almost always some bitch drug filth mom) who will put on a good show, but it's rare. This mom looking like a sack of careless shit in criminal court isn't surprising in the least, she looks like most inept parents.
This isn't a surprising story. The state HATES to terminate parental rights. It takes more than just one or two incidents of non-maim a kid for life or non-fatal child abuse for a judge to do that. Even incarceration and heavy drug use often isn't enough, as we see here. They'll take the kid away and place it somewhere else, but it's a whole nother ball game when you're talking terminating rights entirely. The system tends to give parents every chance in the world, and then some, to get their acts together. The parent and their wishes/feelings/etc. is almost always viewed above other relatives and sometimes even above the children themselves.
The fact that the mom was permitted entry back into the childs life and even given back permanent custody isn't surprising at all. I've been where the grandparents found themselves. It was a shock the first time i went through it to witness the states aversion to saying, "fuck the parent, they're filth". The gov't has this bizarre, nonsensical obsession with parental reunification, with parents being kept in the loop and given an extraordinary amount of power and control over the situation even with a child having been removed. If this broad worked her services, did enough to make the easily persuaded gov't feel she had gotten her act together, of course she was given the kid back. That's actually fairly normal, average everyday practice when it comes to how this shit works. The State simply refuses to accept that parents can be worthless scum, refuses to take a stand and say, "you chose meth over your kid, you're a damage case, we don't care if you worked services or you seemingly have your life on track now, these other people are better, we don't care if you're the mom/dad, you're never getting them back, fuck off".
I think most people have prob read about this before, but just in case anyone is unaware, the legislature mandates that State/Protective Services work towards parental reunification. This has been the case in every state i've lived or read about. It is their job, by law, to strive for this. Yes, their job is to protect children, but their job is also to work to put those children back with the parent. Pretty fucking sickening i think. If a parent doesn't care, the gov't shouldn't either and they should be much quicker to cut ties.
A parent has to show a complete disregard for improvement/cooperation to not be considered for placement. And no, a couple years in jail isn't enough.
The constantly, ever-changing stories from this bitch as detailed in that article aren't surprising either. That's normal. And it's also normal for the State not to give much of a shit. I'm convinced perjury simply doesn't exist in family court matters, like there must be something written into the lawbooks somewhere that says someone can't be held accountable or charged for such things. The absurd and blatant lies and story reversals i've seen/heard are mindblowing.
There are a few odd things though...
After the incident, Averylee lived with her paternal grandmother, Tammy Risen and her husband, Jonathan Risen, for more than two and a half years. The Risens shared parenting time with two other grandparents as well as Mayes, according to court documents.
The Risens sought full custody of Averylee, and in early 2014 Job and Family Services asked Demott to award legal custody to Tammy Risen.
But after a trial that took place over four days in December 2013, March 2014 and May 2014, Demott gave custody to Mayes.
First off, i find it bizarre that Job/Family Services was still in the picture at this point. Perhaps Ohio does things way differently, but my experience has been that CPS gives parents one year to get their act together, and then will often provide another 6 month extension, and after that they'll do everything they can to find a solution and get out of the situation. If there was not only one, but multiple satisfactory family placement options, i can't fathom why the State wouldn't have washed their hands of this thing a long time ago. For them to place the child with family but maintain overral custody of her for such a lengthy period of time is perplexing. Once a suitable family placement is found, and the State has determined that although a termination of rights isn't going to happen, the parent is still not a viable caregiver, the State usually will hand em on over to that family member. Why hang onto a kid if you don't have to? Costs money and time. 2.5 years of temporary custodianship is mindboggling.
I wonder if the incarceration had something to do with it. If the parent is in prison, she/he hasn't had a chance to attempt services. Perhaps they didn't start the "clock" and wasn't willing to do any permanent move/decision until after her release. Sickening and nonsensical, but believable given the States mindset and M.O.
This brings up an important point in that if the State was out of it, this slut would have to fit the bill for her own lawyer if she were to try and get any form of custody or visitation with her child. Most deadbeat, abusive trash parents can't afford that shit. She likely would have never even been able to fight for custody if the State had gotten out of it earlier.
Second, from my experiences, a judge will go along with whatever decisions Family Services makes. Seems quite odd to me that this judge did not, at least not initially. I wonder exactly what went down here. I would assume that the bimbos attorney(who would have been provided by the govt' on the tax payers dime) threw a fit and the judge relented and permitted the bitch several months to get her act together(which wouldn't surprise me, judges and everyone else involved seem to really hate to make decisions and will go out of their way to prolong the time before they have to). She prob did everything CPS threw her way, everything her lawyer told her, made herself look real good, had that job for a solid run. I wonder if by that final May 2014 hearing, if Family Services themselves relented that she had done a solid job getting back on track and changed their tune as well.
Again, not surprising at all that the kid was given back to her. However it is odd to me that the States involvement lasted this fucking long and that the judge at least initially clashed with Family Services.
Enjoy paying taxes folks, your hard earned money is supporting some deadbeat shitheads "efforts" to look good for the gov't and get their kid back!
That is just beyond incomprehensible . This poor baby suffered by the hands of her own ruthless cunt face of a supposed mom. Oh BTW she's 7 months pregnant I guess that's exactly what she needed another baby to torture what a piece of garbage! ... 
