A new three-part documentary is seeking to expose the ‘hidden-in-plain-sight, unregulated family vlogging industry’ as it shines a line on the shocking case of a couple who ‘re-homed’ their adopted son.
Family vloggers Myka and James Stauffer stunned the internet when they uploaded their video titled ‘An Update on Our Family’ back in 2020.
In the clip, the couple explained they had ‘re-homed’ their son three years after they had documented his adoption process for their viewers.
Now, a new HBO docu-series aptly titled An Update on Our Family has shed light on the couple’s shocking fall from grace.
The dark side of ‘family vlogging’
The family – who had raked in a staggering 700,000 followers on Myka’s YouTube channel and over 300,000 on the family’s vlog channel – had previously shown their son’s photo online before his adoption from China was finalized, with Myka opening up to viewers about his additional needs.
In a video uploaded in 2017, she said: “I don’t know what his medical diagnosis is gonna look like. How much schooling will he need? Will he need a little bit more hands on? Will he be delayed?
The YouTube couple sparked controversy at the time (YouTube)
“But if anything, my child is not returnable.”
But viewers were left confused when the little boy suddenly stopped featuring in the couple’s content – and it wasn’t long before the situation was addressed.
The video that ended it all
Viewers were left shocked after the couple sat down to announce they had re-homed the four-year-old.
“International adoption, sometimes there’s unknowns and things that are not transparent on file,” James said in the damning video.
“And once Huxley came home there was a lot more special needs that we weren’t aware of and that we were not told.
“For us it’s been really hard hearing from the medical professionals, a lot of their feedback, and things that have been upsetting. We’ve never wanted to be in this position. And we’ve been trying to get his needs met and help him out as much as possible… We truly love him.”
Myka then tearfully weighed in, as she admitted to feeling like a ‘failure as a mom’ and explaining Huxley had a ‘new forever family’.
“They found somebody that they felt would be ultimately the best fit and he is thriving, he is very happy, he is doing very well and his new mommy has medical professional training and it is a very good fit,” Myka told the camera.
Lawyers weigh in following backlash
After revealing their decision to dissolve the adoption, the Stauffers’ lawyers spoke to People, where they said the couple’s hope was to ‘provide Huxley with the best possible treatment and care’.
Thomas Taneff and Taylor Sayers said: “We are privy to this case and given the facts at hand, we feel this was the best decision for Huxley.
“In coming to know our clients we know they are a loving family and are very caring parents that would do anything for their children.
“Since his adoption, they consulted with multiple professionals in the healthcare and educational arenas in order to provide Huxley with the best possible treatment and care.
“Over time, the team of medical professionals advised our clients it might be best for Huxley to be placed with another family.”
Myka Stauffer has revealed all in a new documentary (Instagram/@mykastauffer)
New documentary shines a light on the shocking case
Directed by Rachel Mason, the HBO doc is aiming to put the magnifying glass on the family vlogging industry as it discusses the controversial case.
Featuring interviews with experts, the three-parter also examines just how much money these families can earn by putting their children front and centre of their content, as well as taking a deep dive into the events leading up to the couple re-homing their child.
Since the scandal, the couple have kept a low profile online, with Myka not posting on Instagram since 2020.
An Update on Our Family airs at 9.00pm ET/PT on HBO. New episodes will debut every Wednesday through to January 29.
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Featured Image Credit: YouTube
A woman accused of locking her adopted 14-year-old son in a box as ‘punishment’ will not go to jail.
Tracy Ferriter, 48, pleaded guilty to one count each of third-degree child neglect, third-degree felony imprisonment, and first-degree aggravated child abuse.
Tracy Ferriter pleaded guilty to the charges. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
Atlanta Black Star reports the 48-year-old admitted she and her husband, Timothy, locked their adopted son in a box – which was just eight-foot-by-eight-foot – as a ‘disciplinary’ measure.
They claimed this was to punish him for lying, threatening classmates, stealing valuables, and attacking relatives.
The couple, from Florida, adopted the child when he was a toddler, and said that he had ADHD and Reactive Attachment Disorder.
The latter is a condition which makes it more difficult for a child to form emotional attachments.
Following her guilty plea on Monday (June 24), Circuit Judge Howard Coates handed Ferriter 10 years probation and a year of house arrest, meaning that she would not be going to jail.
She was also ordered to fulfil other conditions, including paying a $2,000 fine, having a mental health evaluation, completing 300 hours of community service, as well as being banned from having any contact with the victim, who is now in foster care.
Ferriter became tearful in a press conference after the hearing, saying: “We were living a life that’s not what is portrayed in the media.”
She went on to insist that they were a ‘loving family’, adding: “There was a lot of things that nobody knew.
“We were a completely loving family. I love my kids. We just tried to do the best that we could with what we had.”
Ferriter and her husband were arrested in February 2022 after the child ran away from home.
Ferriter became tearful in a press conference after the hearing. (WPTV)
He went on to tell police that he had run away ‘because I feel like nobody loves me’.
Shortly after, the couple were taken into custody by Jupiter Police.
Last year, Timothy was found guilty of the same charges and sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years probation.
Though Ferriter’s case had to be delayed while she looked for an attorney to represent her.
Investigators found thousands of videos on the Ring camera of the abuse, the arrest report stated.
An affidavit states: “[The victim] stated the spankings would take place in his bedroom and he would be naked bent over his bed. [The victim] stated he could recall one spanking was so painful he fell off his bed in pain.”
Featured Image Credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/WPTV
The cousin of America’s ‘most inbred family’ has shared what it’s like for them and the abuse they’ve experienced.
The Whittakers shot to fame with the help of photographer Mark Laita, who started documenting their lives and posting the clips on YouTube.
Mark’s videos on them have generated millions of views over the years, but he had a fall out with the Whittakers after they lied to him about money.
Mark then washed his hands of the family, but has now reconciled with them after receiving an apology.
Photographer Mark Laita documents the Whittakers’ lives (Soft White Underbelly/YouTube)
In a new video posted to his YouTube page earlier this month, Larry Whittaker shakes Mark’s hand and says: “It’s been a long time. I’m sorry for what they’ve done to you and I want to tell the whole world that I’m sorry for what they done.”
Elsewhere in the hour-long video Mark chats to the Whittakers’ cousin John who revealed how the family have been treated over the years.
“When I was younger and growing up, people would come here and they would throw eggs at the house and they would throw stuff at the house,” he shared.
John recalled some of the hard times the family have faced (Soft White Underbelly/YouTube)
“They would scream and shout at all hours of the night. I mean, people were just rude,” John went on.
“They’ve had windows busted out and everything. People terrorized them.”
He further explained that he returned to the area when he was 15 and ‘put a stop to a lot of stuff’.
John and his brother Jason are very protective of the family, so much so that Mark had a gun pulled on him by Jason the first time he visited the family.
But he’s now seen as a friend of the Whittakers as they know he poses no threat to them.
As well as John, the Whittakers’ grandsons has opened up about what it like growing up in the US’ so-called ‘most inbred family’.
Brandon and Luis, BJ’s sons and Larry Whittaker’s grandchildren, grew up in and around the now-famous family.
While they largely seemed to enjoy their childhood with the Whittakers, Luis said it ‘got pretty rough at around five or six’ because he was placed in foster care when he was six.
He left foster care after his seventh birthday but was ‘not allowed’ to come back to see his grandpa because his grandpa ‘tried to shoot one of [their] stepdads’ who had allegedly been ‘beating on’ their mom.
Elsewhere, Brandon said that he ‘couldn’t ask for a better childhood’.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Soft White Underbelly
Two YouTubers are facing criminal charges after attempting to spend a night in a Pennsylvania target for a social media challenge.
Johnson Larose and Charlotte Fischer, known as ‘Saucy and Honey,’ were caught hiding after hours at Chester County Target, according to West Whiteland Township police.
The 25-year-old and 24-year-old – who have around 20,000 subscribers on the platform – could now face up to seven years in prison as a result of their late-night escapade.
On February 21, police were called to the store after an alarm was tripped off, Fox29 News reports.
While police didn’t find anything in their search, surveillance footage was uncovered the next day by Target employees, which proved Larose and Fischer had been in the building.
However, police noted that the pair weren’t captured stealing anything, and were just recorded wandering around with their phones out.
Scott Pezick, West Whiteland Township Police Detective, noted: ‘It became a little bit bigger of an investigation, trying to find out what they were doing, was there something criminal?’
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Johnson Larose and Charlotte Fischer (West Whiteland Police Department)
The surveillance captured the pair evading employees by hiding behind a fort they built just as the store was closing.
While Larose and Fischer posted a 26-minute video of their adventure on their YouTube channel, titling the video, ’24 Hour Overnight Challenge in Target,’ the recording showed them leaving the building at around 3.00am, setting off the alarm on the emergency exit.
The pair reportedly returned to resume recording at 8.00am.
While seemingly harmless in their intentions and behaviour at the store after hours, Detective Pezick explained that there were still risks involved in the incident.
He stated: ‘When you go to burglary call you have a heightened sense of awareness. Suddenly, you see somebody in there or maybe they get spooked and run, our officers are well-trained, but it’s not a great situation for anybody.
‘They weren’t out to harm anybody, but we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.’
Larose and Fischer subsequently face charges of conspiracy and third-degree criminal trespassing.
Though the charges can carry up to seven years jail time, Fox 29 reports it is highly unlikely the couple will face such a harsh sentence.
Since being released on a $25,000 unsecured bail, the YouTubers have also been banned from all Target stores located in Pennsylvania. The duos next hearing is set for March 24.
Fischer reflected: ‘I mean, no regrets just living life and having fun, it’s kind of sad that all of this came out of it, we were expecting a fine nothing crazy.’
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