I’ve wondered if she took that drastic step in order to publicly distance herself from Daniel in order to protect Meadow, especially with the possibility of a looming threat of CPS involvement.
There was that heated argument on the property and I imagine it was within earshot of the police or others involved in the investigation. Add to that the commotion of the search and the conditions of the home, and it may have made it a boiling point for the police where Meadow’s welfare was concerned. They may have wanted Meadow to leave the property and be separate from Daniel.
Daniel downplayed CPS’s involvement and I initially didn’t find that to ring true, but maybe it was. Officials may have wanted to placate him to keep involved and talking because of the ongoing search. I’ve heard the questions about why hasn’t he been charged with drug possession or child endangerment or abuse, and I imagine the police have had to choose their battles as the two children are missing, and likely on Daniel’s family’s property. They can get warrants, but having him and his family as allies and cooperative is important at the moment. Or maybe losing some rights to his children will be seen as punishment enough.
The argument at the home was about possible drug use and Daniel having something to do with the disappearance, so I think the police or CPS decided to shield Meadow from him until they could establish that she was safe in his care. He has been very vocal this whole time, but we haven’t heard that he’s regained custody of her or that he now has unsupervised visits, so I think there were good reasons involved with him losing custody, and there’s a chance the issues may be ongoing. The last we’ve heard he also hasn’t had visits by his other two children either.
Malehya leaving and changing her FB status to single, all while cutting Daniel off, might have something to do with showing CPS and the world that Daniel would have no access to Meadow if Meadow is in her custody.
It may have been clear to Malehya during that SAR briefing that she was at a crossroad, and her mother being present gave her options she otherwise may not have previously had. The possible tone of the briefing may have added to that. The police during SAR searches tend to give very sober assessments of the situation. It was near freezing over the first night and the children were likely underdressed and exposed to the elements. So by the afternoon of day two, the police may have said that those conditions, and also the statistics for finding them alive in that dangerous terrain after so many hours, were working against them. Meanwhile, Meadow possibly needed to be out of that environment. So maybe Malehya decided to save the one child in her arms.
Why she hasn’t made visible efforts in the search while separate and apart is a big mystery to me. It may come down to the perimeters of the search area and who the property owners are. If it’s primarily Daniel’s family’s land, she may feel she’s powerless. But she has a voice and no shortage of media who would be happy to give her or a designated spokesperson a platform to keep the search alive in the minds of the public.
Meanwhile, two little children are likely mouldering on the ground and should be found and given the respect of a proper burial. It seems they were neglected at points in their lives, taking care of them in death is the least they deserve.
^^My views only, based on what I’ve gleaned from MSM coverage.
