Well, that was fast. Less than a year after finally regaining custody of her oldest son Jace, former Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans has lost custody of the 14-year-old. He is back in the care of his grandmother, Jenelle’s mother Barbara Evans, following his multiple attempts at running away. Recently, Jace ran away from the home Jenelle shares with her husband and other children, called The Land. It was Jace’s third runaway attempt in almost as many months, which was definitely concerning. Even though Jenelle chalked him running away up to teenage angst, the last attempt revealed that Jace may have been assaulted by Jenelle's husband, David Eason.
More from CafeMom: Jenelle Evans Investigated for 'Neglect' by CPS After Jace Reportedly Assaulted by David
Jace is now in Barbara's custody.
The U.S. Sun broke the story that Jace was placed back into Barbara's care earlier this week. Barbara petitioned the North Carolina court to gain back custody of the teen while an investigation continues into Jace’s claims that his stepfather assaulted him before he ran away for a third time.
Right now, the living arrangement is only temporary.
Although CPS still technically has custody of the boy (he was removed from Jenelle’s care last week), Barbara has been approved by the court to care for her grandson.
During a court hearing, a decision was made that Jenelle cannot contact Jace without him initiating contact with her first, and David isn’t allowed to contact Jace at all in any way. There will be another hearing later this month to check in, but there's no word yet on whether the decision to have Jace live with Barb will become permanent.
Jace is reportedly glad to be away from his mother and stepfather.
"Jace wants nothing to do with Jenelle," a source told The Ashley’s Reality Roundup. "He saw some of the things she was claiming on social media about him recently and was furious. He’s thrilled to be back with Barbara and is excited to start school again."
More from CafeMom: 'Teen Mom' Jenelle Evans Says Her Mom Is a Danger to Her & Kids; Files Protection Order
The CPS investigation into Jace's abuse claims is ongoing.
The agency has been investigating David since Jace’s claim that his stepfather assaulted him in September. A source told The U.S. Sun that there were "marks on his arms and neck," adding that Jace’s allegations were being taken seriously. When contacted by CPS, Barbara confirmed that Jace had called her and told her that David had attacked him, but because she is not his legal guardian, she couldn’t pick up the boy without fear of legal action from Jenelle.
Jace also reportedly made it clear that he didn’t want to live with his mother and stepfather after the alleged assault. "He told everyone if he is sent back there he won't stay, he will run again," a source told The U.S. Sun.
Jenelle is trying to punish Barb.
Jenelle reportedly tried to file another restraining order against Barbara, claiming that her mother was the reason Jace was hospitalized, among other things, according to The Ashley. She also accused her mother of having factitious disorder, a mental disorder in which someone fakes illness, whether that's their own or another person's.
More importantly, Jenelle went against her previous claim and stated in the filing that she didn’t know where Jace was from Sept 30 to Oct 2. Thus far, neither she nor David has commented on losing custody of Jace.
