Melanie Martin has big news to celebrate!
More than one month after Aaron Carter was tragically found dead in his bathtub, his on-again, off-again fiancée has regained custody of their one-year-old son, Prince Carter.
The news comes after a Thursday hearing in Los Angeles, where the court ultimately found the 35-year-old fit to care for her baby boy, according to TMZ. While Melanie was reportedly in New York at the time of the decision, her legal team reached out to her with the announcement, and she has since made it her priority to return home to reunite with her son. A source told the outlet she’s extremely eager to see him. We bet!
There’s finally some light in the otherwise dark tunnel of a month for the grieving momma! If you weren’t aware, prior to the I Want Candy singer’s death, the couple lost custody of Prince in March after reports of drug abuse and domestic violence. Luckily, the child was able to remain with family as Melanie’s mother took him in, and the OnlyFans model was able to have regular, unsupervised visits, while Aaron was granted supervised visits.
Related: Melanie Explains ‘Predicting’ Aaron’s Death In Final Messages
This has all been a work in progress, as Melanie told The US Sun last Wednesday she felt she was close to getting full custody back after she had moved into an apartment near her mother’s California residence. Following the huge win, she told TMZ Thursday:
“I’m honoring Aaron today and I know he would be so proud of me. I’m very emotional thinking we could have been a family, but Aaron would be so happy knowing I got him back.”
So sweet. We can only imagine how emotional the news has been for the mother of one! The same day, Aaron’s mother Jane Carter told the outlet it was the right move returning the boy to Melanie, noting:
“The child should be with the mother.”
Related: Aaron Reportedly Died Without A Will
Jane had previously informed the outlet the Carter side of the family still hadn’t met the infant, but believes her son’s assets should go to him, noting that the famous family, which includes Aaron’s older brother and Backstreet Boys star, Nick Carter, “doesn’t need the money.” Melanie later told The U.S. Sun that while everyone has been mourning, hopefully the Carter family can “meet baby Prince and everything will work out.”
We’re happy for her and hope to see the two families merge sooner rather than later! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below!
[Images via Melanie Martin/Instagram]