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Authorities are investigating 'well-being' of Huxley Stauffer

Myka and James Stauffer faced backlash after they announced they were no longer parenting Huxley, a child with special needs they adopted from China.
/ Source: NBC News

Local authorities are investigating the "well-being" of Huxley Stauffer, the adopted son of YouTubers, Myka and James Stauffer.

"Our primary concern is for the well-being of this child, as well as the other children in the household," a spokesperson for The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office wrote in statement. "Our investigation is ongoing, and will include contact with all children to ensure their safety."

Myka Stauffer and Huxley
Myka Stauffer and HuxleyMyka Stauffer / YouTube

The spokesperson added that while all adoption cases are confidential, they must go through 'a thorough process" with "specific requirements and safeguards," including home studies and background checks on the parents.

"In this case we are confident that the appropriate process is occurring," the spokesperson wrote. "In addition, both parties are being represented by attorneys to ensure full compliance with the court process."

The Stauffers faced backlash last week after they announced they were permanently placing their son, Huxley, with another family. The couple adopted Huxley from China in 2017 and said they were not aware the extent of his special needs when they brought him home. According to Myka Stauffer, Huxley was diagnosed with a stroke in utero, has level 3 autism and sensory processing disorder.

“There’s not an ounce of our body that doesn’t love Huxley with all of our being. There wasn’t a minute that we didn’t try our hardest," she said in a YouTube video last Tuesday titled "An update on our family." "After multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit and that [with] his medical needs, he needed more.”

The couple has been posting videos since at least 2014, both on Myka's individual channel and their joint account, The Stauffer Life, and Myka built her following by posting parenting YouTube videos detailing the process of adopting a child from China.

Though neither the Stauffers nor their attorneys immediately responded to NBC News' request for comment about The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office's investigation, their attorneys previously told NBC News that their clients "came to the difficult determination to follow the advice of medical professionals."

"To be clear this did NOT include any considerations for placement in the foster system, but rather to hand-select a family who is equipped to handle Huxley’s needs," the attorneys wrote. "They were forced to make a difficult decision, but it is in fact, the right and loving thing to do for this child."

The Stauffers are raising four other children together: Kova, Jaka, Radley and Onyx.

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