The world was introduced to Syesha Mercado back in 2008, during the seventh season of American Idol. While she lost to David Cook, she came close to winning the season — and still has quite the fan base these days. However, right now she's fighting the battle of her life, and it has nothing to do with singing.
Syesha's two young children, both under the age of 2, were taken from her. She and her partner, Tyron Deener, lost custody of 18-month-old son Amen'Ra and 2-week-old daughter Ast. And the reason why seems very complicated.
The singer explained her side of the story on Instagram. Amen'Ra is her young son, or as she often refers to him, her "sun."
"I took our sun to get extra fluids since he was resisting to drink the necessary fluids we were giving him," she explained. "He was weaning from extended breast feeding to eating MORE solids and drinking the bottle independently."
"My breast feeding journey was easy, beautiful and so rewarding up until I became pregnant," she continued. "My body went through changes and my milk supply went down. Amen'Ra wanted mommy's breast milk, but we had to wean him. During this process I researched so much & we even saw a couple of physicians & a lactation specialist who encouraged me he was really healthy, keep going, & I'm doing a great job."
"However, there was one particular day I just wanted to stay proactive, get another opinion from so called 'pediatric specialists' & assistance with getting him extra fluids," she said. "I went to Johns Hopkins for that specifically & they TOOK my baby. They accused me of abuse and neglect. And specified medical neglect."
"Not too long after we arrived in the hospital I stopped using the SNS Pump which was recommended by the Lactation Specialist, to assist with fluids at the breast and Ra was completely weaned from my breast days after without the assistance of any medical staff. But instead of releasing us, they kept my sun in the hospital to observe him & interrogate, insult, and judge me," she continued.
"By March 11, 2021 CPI Officer Danielle McCoy of Manatee County Sheriff's Department & other armed police officers from Pinellas County forcefully removed me from my son banning me & my husband permanently from the hospital," she continued. "When we asked what did we dom they said we refused a B 12 shot." According to Syesha, such an exchange never happened.
"WE NEVER refused the B12 shot & up until March 11th Ra was never left in the care of strangers and I was never without him for more than two hours," she said. "They ripped me away from my proudest creation in life, pure joy, my SUNshine. These precious moments we'll never be able to get back!"
Syesha talked about her story more during a virtual conference, where she openly teared up explaining the strange and hurtful situation. "I didn't get to see Ra say mama for the first time," she said. "I didn't get to see my babies meet for the first time. I didn't get to see that and I can't go back and redo that moment."
Syesha says her daughter was also recently taken away. Since she's so young, these bonding moments are especially important. "I feel my daughter. I feel when she's hungry and know when she's crying. And I can't do anything. She's not here with me," the singer lamented.
So what happened to Syesha Mercado's son, exactly? According to Randy Warren, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, little Ra was taken away because it was reported that he was suffering from "severe malnutrition." But in pictures, he looks fine — and according to Syesha, he wasn't suffering. She was just trying to be proactive to make sure he was properly fed and hydrated while being weaned.
Randy Warren told People that Syesha and her partner "refused to cooperate." He also said that the Safe Children Coalition was currently handling the situation, and that they were the ones who believed it wasn't safe for Syesha's baby girl to also be in the home.
Both Syesha and her partner have denied all claims that they were, in any way, abusive to their children. "The only thing that we have ever done as parents is make responsible decisions, loving decisions," said her partner, Tyron. "We have not committed any crime. We have not abused our babies. We have not done anything that is irresponsible as parents."
"I went somewhere to get assistance, my baby was supposed to come home with me," Syesha added. "We should have never been criminalized for getting assistance for something." Despite how terrifying the situation is, Captain Dennis E. Romano Jr. of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office's Child Protection Investigations Division also spoke to People and said that children often aren't separated for long. But still, it seems like any time at this age may be detrimental.
"The child welfare system is a social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material wellbeing of persons in need," he said. "Time frames for reunification vary, but the willingness of parents and/or guardians to complete the steps necessary to ensure a healthy and safe family dynamic are essential to a quick reunification of all families." Hopefully, this is something that can get rectified quickly.
In the meantime, Syesha is hoping to build up both funds and awareness over what happened. She set up a GoFundMe page, where she admitted that she thinks racial discrimination is largely at play.
"My family and I are just one in countless other stories of the taking of children from caring parents that go unheard and unseen," she wrote.
Hopefully, Syesha's story has a happy ending — and soon.
