Remember the friend of kc said that CA was very prejudiced and wouldnt allow her in the house because she was mexican? Maybe Caylees father is Mexican also. CA and her denial again. If she truly is that prejudiced, she would not want anyone to know that Caylee is mixed.
They could also be concerned that the father may try to get custody of her, and it wouldnt be too hard to prove kc was an unfit mother.
Here's another thing I have personal experience with....If the father has family out of the country, and they take the baby, it is almost impossible to get that child back once it has been taken across the border. In my case, my sons fathers family threatened to take him after he was born. His father eventually moved out of the country, so getting child support is next to impossible. Im glad they are out of his life now and I dont have to worry about them anymore.
The A's couldnt have filed for sole custody of Caylee, as you said. Every effort must be made to determine the father, and he must also be sent notice that they intend to file for custody. Its not just a matter of "filing papers" with an attorney, the case has to be filed with the superior court and is decided by a judge.
There was also a question as to kc getting benefits for Caylee. If she did apply for medical, cash, or food stamps, the state would insist that the father be located, and they would also start the procedure to collect child support from him, beginning with paternity testing. If she applied to get cash, the child support payments would go directly to DES.