Bethany's custody battle

My name is Juliane Seifferlein, Bethany's younger sister. Bethany is a kind, generous, faithful mother to the handsome, smart, funny 15 year old Xander. She married Xander's father, Alex, in 2004, but it soon became clear that he was abusing Bethany both physically and emotionally. They divorced, but it was far from a smooth split. Bethany is missing years of photographs and cherished items because Alex threw them out. He fought for custody, and was granted alternating weekends on the condition that he receive counseling.


Time went on, and Bethany continued to keep Xander's needs prioritized. She went out of her way to make sure Alex's family was included in celebrations. Bethany works hard, has a good living environment, and a good "village" supporting her. Alex, on the other hand, continued to get the police involved on multiple occasions, showed a nice face to the public, but would lie and manipulate words in private. 


Earlier this year while in therapy, Xander found the strength and courage to tell Bethany that Alex had abused him as well. The therapist recommended a 3-way Zoom meeting between himself, Xander, and Alex. Alex outright lied and denied Xander's claims of abuse, and said that Xander was manipulating those around him. The therapist had reported this to CPS, but they refused to step in and open a report. This, on top of the virus pandemic, made Xander decide he did not want to see his dad. Alex got loud and got the police involved. He scheduled another court hearing for custody on October 5th, 2020, and the judge awarded HIM full custody effective immediately. Alex will get to decide if Xander can see or even talk to Bethany for the next 2.5 years. 


No child deserves to be forced to live with their abuser. Bethany will never stop fighting to make things right. Her legal fees could easily reach $10,000 or more. Please help with any amount you can so that Xander can be in a stable, loving home.